


On Thin Ice

by Razzbury_Writes



Series: DreamNotFound Fics :) [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: AU, Cuddles, Cutesy, Dream can't skate, Dream has gay panic, Everybody wants to be Xander's friend and I don't blame them, Everyone Is Gay, Figure skater!George, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Panic, Gream - Freeform, Ice Skating, Ice Skating AU, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Minecraft, Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), Pining, YouTube, alternative universe, dream team, dreamnotfound, minecraft youtubers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 46,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27699323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razzbury_Writes/pseuds/Razzbury_Writes
Summary: AU Where George can skate just as well as he can code.George loves to ice skate, it's always been like a second life to him.  Key words: Second life.  He had a steady job, doing YouTube with his friends, coding plug-ins for Minecraft, and streaming on occasion, but he was a different person when he walked through those big white doors to the rink he spent so much of his free time at.  George's sister, Cara, helps fly Dream over as a surprise and oh boy, it was a shock for both of them.  Not only does he now have to deal with his annoyingly charming best friend who was planning who knows what for Christmas, but a skating competition his rink mate somehow dragged him into.  At the same time.  What could be better than that?
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: DreamNotFound Fics :) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2197128
Comments: 165
Kudos: 502





	1. The Better Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, Razz here with a couple of notes before we start :)
> 
> If any of the people in this story are uncomfortable with this and want me to take it down for whatever reason I will most certainly take it down, just let me know! I made this for the fun of it because I had writer's block, it is not meant to make anyone uncomfortable. This is pure fiction and not meant to be hurtful towards anyone!
> 
> This work is also published on Wattpad under the same username and title in case if you come across it there. The first two chapters are more on the smaller side but it picks up right after that, I promise.
> 
> Covid is not a thing in this world (that being said please stay safe everyone!) and Cara is also not George's sister in real life of course, she's just an original character I am using for the story purposes.
> 
> Whenever there is an ice skating scene I will include a link to the video that inspired it because I am in no means a choreographer lmao
> 
> Other than that hope you enjoy the fic :)
> 
> \- Razz

A month from now, if you had told Dream that he was going to be flown out to London in order to spend the holiday season with his best friend, he may not have believed that what started as a joke had become a reality.

He had undergone an excruciating process of planning everything without drawing any suspicious from George himself. With minor help from his friends here and there, he managed to get in contact with George's older sister, Cara.

To say that she was down for the idea was an understatement. Cara was eager to help pull together this odd but intriguing meetup, insisting upon him staying at George's house where she would be rooming in as well.

In a matter of weeks, the two of them had everything sorted out from plane ticket costs to living arrangements to how long he would be staying (which ended up being set at a two week minimum).

So, with a week left until Dream would fly out across the seas to spend the end of the year with his friend, he spent a majority of his time fantasizing about what was to come when they saw each other for the first time.

He would think about how much Cara seemed just like George through texts, the same energy being conveyed from both of the Brits. He would think about how quickly his few friends were willing to help _just_ to get the two of them together. He would think about the future feeling of the brunet in his arms, hugging him close as he took in Dream's features for the first time.

Though, all he was allowing his brain to currently fixate on was the process of overlapping music to his newest video, and carrying on a conversation with his two best friends at the same time.

He leaned back in his dark chair and watched George's stream, muted, on one of his monitors with an editing program on the other. Sapnap was in a TeamSpeak with the two of them and George was currently going on about how stupid his spawns had been. Sapnap laughed from his end putting on a fake British accent.

"Oh shut up Gogy," he said, enunciating the nickname. "We all know it's only because you're trash." George gasped, letting a mock-dramatic expression take over his face while shaking his head. He made his character shift positions, pressing f3, and punched the air around him as he ran down an open plains biome.

"Hmm _I'm_ trash, Sapnap?" He went back into first person mode and locked onto his target: A nearby skeleton that was watching him come closer, bow in hand and ready to shoot. "Okay, okay, okay, okay. Pretend you're that skeleton, right?" Sapnap let out a low 'mhm' as he watched George kill the skeleton without losing any health. "That was you."

"What does that have to do with Sapnap being trash?" Dream laughed out, popping back into the conversation and shifting his gaze over to the other monitor in time to see George roll his eyes on his stream.

"It represents _him_ being bad, duh." Now it was Dream's turn to roll his eyes as he turned his attention back to the video he was clipping.

"How does you killing ' _me_ '," he put a sarcastic emphasis on the word "me", "show that I'm bad? I'm sorry that the npc didn't fight back?" Sapnap and Dream burst out laughing again and George just stayed quiet as he made his way through a birch biome now, following the eye of ender he had thrown which, in turn, broke.

"Why? Every time?" He sighed out, waving his hands exasperatingly in the air.

"See George? I told you you were trash."

"Zip it, Sapnap." Dream just shook his head at his friend's banter and put his full focus into trimming down music to fit a certain intense spot in the video.

Dream's phone went off.

He glanced at where it sat on his bed, his sheet curled and covering half of it, and went over to get it, placing his thumb on the bottom to unlock it when he did. He had gotten a text from George's sister, Cara. Well, he had gotten _multiple_ texts from Cara, as three new notifications from her had popped up.

\---

**Cara**

Bruh George is so loud I can hear him from downstairs smh

Anyway you all set?

Flight leaves in two days and I need to know what to get to prepare 4 you here

**_[Delivered 11:27 P.M.]_ **

\---

If Dream's poor attempt at trying _not_ to think about his upcoming trip for just a few hours was shaky before, Cara all but shattered it now. The same sense of giddiness arose in his chest.

\---

**Dream**

Lmao he is loud

I have all of my necessities, my ticket is ready, and my home is secured so I think Im good

**_[Delivered 11:29 P.M.]_   
**

**Cara**

Alright lmk if you need anything, make sure to text me when you take off

_**[Delivered 11:29 P.M.]** _

**Dream**

I will I will

**_[Delivered 11:30 P.M.]_ **

**Cara**

Good, now get back to that loser's stream already

**[Seen 11:30 P.M.]**

\---

Dream smiled to himself and shook his head. Haphazardly tossing away his phone once again, he zoned back into the conversation and realized they were talking about a relevant topic: Christmas, which was coming up rapidly.

"Hello Gogy, can you say Merry Christmas to my friends and I? Merry Christmas... Anna!" George read off one of his donos he had gotten with his trademark grin.

"Oh yeah, Christmas is coming up soon. What did you get me George?" Sapnap teased and George scoffed, visibly rolling his eyes towards the camera, bringing a hand up to rest his cheek in.

"Who said you're getting anything from me?" A dramatic gasp from Sapnap.

"Well _I_ got something for you!"

"Maybe I'll give Sapnap the present I got which was meant for _you_ then, George, if you're just gonna leave him out like that," Dream popped into the conversation for the second time that night, knowing very well Sapnap would play along.

"All I'm hearing is that you got me something too, Dream," George responded with a laugh and pulled a face while moving his character every which-way on the screen.

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I bet mine is twelve times better than Sapnap's!" Dream boasted while George just hummed in response, focusing on bridging to red team's bed because he raged from speed running after "the game glitched" and switched over to Hypixel. "It'll be the best present you've ever gotten!" Sapnap let out a gasp in shock and quick clicking could be heard from his end (he was playing with George because Dream just wanted to get this damn video at least half way edited) before responding.

"We'll see about that, Dream." Sapnap laughed and leaned in closer to his mic for a second. "But I feel like I should get some of the credit for yours." Dream rolled his eyes. Sapnap _had_ been one of the people who helped him reach Cara in the first place, he'd give him that. George wore a smirk as he listened to the two bicker over his supposed presents.

"What's this? What could be so special that it required two people to get?" Sapnap started laughing and Dream glared at his screen, despite the fact that neither could see him. Figures Sapnap would be the one to bring it up, and if he spoiled anything he would change the flight from London to Texas so he could personally beat his ass.

"Don't worry about it, George, you'll see soon." He trailed off and watched as George ran his hands down his face and pout. In the time that happened his base got invaded and the "Bed Destructed" text appeared on screen. He huffed and resumed collecting iron at red's base before exiting the structure in order to go back to his own.

"Mmm, but what if I want it now?" The pout was still apparent on his face and Dream wheezed at his friend's remark.

"Quit acting like a child, George, you aren't _Tommy_ ," he said, followed up with laughter from all three ends. "And besides," he continued after the trio had calmed down a bit. "Christmas is in a week, _maybe_ I'll consider giving you it...." George rolled his eyes as he fought green and the stream carried on for about half an hour longer before the three parted ways and left the TeamSpeak.

Yeah, Dream was excited and wanted more than anything to tell George now, and be able to watch his face light up with anticipation. But then it wouldn't be much of a surprise, and Dream _really_ wanted to catch George off guard. The two had never met in real life before, and to say that he was nervous was an understatement. But his joy overtook that sense and pushed down any crawling anxiety about how George would react.

He just had to get through today and tomorrow, then first thing Monday morning he would be on his way to London. To meet his best friend.


	2. Bording

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream is incredibly anxious about finally meeting George while he makes his way to the plane that will take him across seas to his best friend.

_Double check everything. Make sure the rooms are clean. The guest room is ready, right? Do I have my charger? What about my backup? No that's silly, you don't need a backup charger there. But what about my headphones? My laptop would do me good... but would I look silly bringing so much stuff? How stupid would bringing my whole PC be? Pretty stupid... stupid... stupid.... Does Patches have enough food? Is my note for my mom on the counter? It isn't... where did it go? Where did Patches go? PATCHES?_

Dream stopped and ran his hand through his hair, taking a deep breath to calm his rapid thoughts piling in his mind one after another. He slowly walked out of the kitchen and into his room, finding Patches curled up at the foot of the bed with the sticky note he had written for when his mother came to house-sit and take care of Patches on the floor, a tear on one end.

He sighed, bending down to pick it up and examine the damage before deciding to just rewrite it. With a pat on Patches' head and probably the fifth time checking through his room to make sure he didn't forget anything, he walked back out to the kitchen where his bags awaited him.

He had one main luggage bag filled to the brim with clothes. Cara had said that he should plan for a two week stay, but his welcome could be extended to however much longer he and George would decide once there. _Sweatshirts, t-shirts, shorts, sweats...._ He went through the items that were in that bag in his head and decided there were enough. London was colder than Florida, that's obvious, so he had a light jacket that hadn't seen the light of day in ages thrown in there as well. He then turned to his backpack which had his laptop in an unzipped back pocket along with the charger for it, his headphones and earbuds, phone charger, wireless mouse, three books, a notepad, a case of writing utensils, and a bag of toiletries.

Cara told him not to worry about pillows or blankets as they had more than enough to provide for him, but he was welcome to bring any if he needed to. Dream declined and thanked her for having things there for him because a fourth bag would have been more than a hassle. He looked at the third bag, smaller than the other two, that held another pair of tennis shoes and a pair of slip on shoes Cara had suggested to bring that didn't fit in his main luggage. _Is three bags too much?_ He shook his head and walked over to the kitchen island where a sticky note pad still laid. He patted his pockets and retrieved a black inked pen from one of them, scribbling down a copy of the note he had written before. _No, it's not too much, George won't mind._

He smiled at the thought, _George_. For the first time ever, in around 10 hours he would meet his best friend. _Would he be happy?_ Of course he would, George has been talking about this day forever, even before they even started up their channels. _How would he react, though? To seeing his face for the first time?_

Dream signed the sticky note and pulled out his wallet, placing a fifty next to it. It may not have been much and he knew his mother wouldn't want to be paid to spend time here, but he felt like it was the right thing to do. She didn't _have_ to come and watch Patches for two weeks, possibly more. He giddily took a last look over his house, moving to turn off the living room lights before slipping on his shoes, slinging his backpack over his shoulders, and picking up the other two. With a quick check to make sure his wallet and phone were in his back pockets he opened the front door with a creak and stepped out, turning around to close the door after giving a small wave to his cat.

"See you soon, Patches!" He popped the keys in his front pocket with his ticket and piled his bags into his Uber he had called for.

As the trees flew by on the highway and the morning sun split different colors of all shades across the sky, Dream felt content. He looked at his watch which read 2:03 AM. He had to take an early flight to account for the time difference and if Dream was being honest, he probably got no more than an hours worth of sleep.

 _About ten more minutes until we get to the airport, half an hour after that until my flight. That's forty minutes all together, plus the nine and a half hour flight to London. Ten hours and ten minutes. Cara said she'd pick me up at the airport, will George be there too? No, he'd get suspicious and besides, they agreed on surprising George at his house. Forty minute drive to his house. That's ten hours and fifty minutes if everything goes as planned._ He let the smile on his face double in size—the Uber probably thought he was high but he didn't care. _Ten hours and fifty minutes until I get to see George._

<<<->>>

He tipped the Uber and hopped out of the car, luggage wheeling behind him and backpack on his shoulders. He made his way up to the large, sleek building. He had only ever flown once before, and that was as a child, going across the country for a vacation around fifth grade. As much as he would prefer driving, that was impossible to do when crossing an ocean. Plus, going by plane would make it twice as fast meaning he would get to see George quicker.

The security line went slow and he stood there texting Sapnap and Bad who had also helped him sort this all out. The two were just as excited as he was, despite not coming along with him.

"You deserve to meet up with him first before us," Bad had said when he first pitched the idea over a month ago over Discord. Sapnap had agreed with him. Even though the four were all very close, they agreed that Dream and George deserved to have their own moment together. Though it would be hilarious to be there recording his reaction, they let Dream go alone and helped reach Cara for him.

\---

**Swipnip**

Whens ur flight again?

**_[Delivered 2:24 A.M.]_ **

**Dream**

Takes off in 10 min

Damn security is taking forever

_**[Delivered 2:25 A.M.]** _

**Muffin Man**

I'm sure you'll make it ヽ(*⌒∇⌒*)ﾉ

_**[Delivered 2:25 A.M.]** _

**Swipnip**

hopefully

_**[Delivered 2:25 A.M.]** _

**Dream**

Shut up the lines moving

Give me a sec im up next

_**[Delivered 2:26 A.M.]** _

**Muffin Man**

Kk

_**[Delivered 2:26 A.M.]** _

**Dream**

Okokokokokok

Im through

_**[Delivered 2:27 A.M.]** _

**Muffin Man**

And eight minutes to spare!

Hurry Dream! :0 text us when you land!!!

_**[Delivered 2:27 A.M.]** _

**Dream**

I will

See ya guys

_**[Delivered 2:29 A.M.]** _

**Swipnip**

Have a good flight, dont die

_**[Delivered 2:29 A.M.]** _

**Dream**

Reassuring...

_**[Delivered 2:30 A.M.]** _

**Swipnip**

Lmao ik bye

_**[Delivered 2:30 A.M.]** _

**Muffin Man**

Baiii!! Stay safe uwu

_**[Delivered 2:31 A.M.]** _

\---

"Flight 3C, Orlando to London, will be leaving shortly. Please report to Gate C for boarding," a voice sounded over the speakers as Dream pushed his way through the clusters of people, rounding up on Gate C. He pulled out his ticket and smoothed it over in his hand as he made his way up to a lady checking them. She took it, scanned it, and smiled letting him pass through.

Dream walked down the tiny hall to where his flight sat waiting outside. He was three rows from the back of the plane and managed to snag a window seat. He put his shoe bag in the storage unit above him, and his backpack on the seat next to him as they had taken his major luggage to store elsewhere.

He sat back in his seat, reclining it ever so slightly, before pulling out his earbuds and connecting them to his phone, turning on his Spotify playlist. The attendants walked around making sure everyone was buckled properly and offering bottled waters. As the plane started to take off a few minutes after 7:45, he let his gaze set on the slowly shrinking world out of his window. It didn't take long for his eyes to slip shut as he let sleep take over him as he soared through the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still shorter but the next chapter is around 5k words so I think that'll make up for it lol
> 
> These first two were just backstory/build up, it gets better next chapter I promise.


	3. Poker Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream arrives in England and finally gets to see George in... a way he didn't expect?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link to the routine included in this chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Um3H7Qjxh0

Dream was brought out of his shortly lived slumber by a voice coming over the intercoms telling passengers to buckle up and prepare for their landing. Even though he had been asleep for a majority of his flight, he still felt drowsy as he checked to make sure his straps were secured (they were, of course, as he never unbuckled in the first place, settling for resting his eyes instead throughout the flight).

The process of landing and getting off of the plane wasn't much to remark on, he got pushed out of the way and shoved to the side multiple times as other passengers tried getting off. He put on his backpack, grabbed his smaller bag which he had kept alongside him during the flight, and followed the crowd off of the plane. It didn't hit him that he was standing in a new place, bustling with people going every which way, until he saw a few missed texts from Cara, along with the time which was automatically switched to London's time zone.

\---

**Cara**

Im here by the luggage place

U off the plane yet?

_**[Delivered 5:45 P.M.]** _

\---

His eyes went wide as he looked around. _Holy shit, I'm in London._ It looked like any normal airport, but this one just felt different because he knew he wasn't in Florida anymore, he was in London—George's home. _This is really happening._ Dream shot Cara a response saying that he was off and on his way as well as another to Sapnap and Bad, assuring them that he was safe and now over an ocean away.

When he reached the area where the larger pieces of luggage were rolling past, he glanced over them briefly, looking for his own. He spotted it, took it off the tracks, and scanned the faces around him for George's sister. It accorded to him that she had never seen his face, and that he had only seen her once about a year ago when she had been visiting George for the holidays and barged in while they were on facetime.

She was 26, two years older than George, and possessed the same dark brown hair as her brother did. Dream spotted her through the crowd, and made his way to where she stood, eyes glued to her phone screen. She had cut her hair over the last year, which makes sense. Instead of the waist length she had before, it now stopped at her shoulders, curling and waving around the edges ever so slightly. She—unlike George—had blue eyes and her dimples were less prominent. By the time he reached her she had looked up, an unsure grin on her face.

"Dream?" She asked and he smiled, nodding his head and setting down his bags to welcome the hug she had opened her arms for. "Oh my gosh! It's great to finally meet you, _see you!_ " The two broke the embrace and her face fell for a second, before picking back up into a smug smirk. "George is gonna kill me for meeting you irl before him."

"Yeah, that sounds like George," Dream let out a slight wheeze before picking his bags back up from where they had resided on the floor.

"Follow me, the car's this way," Cara said and Dream nodded, following his friend's sister through hundreds of people. They were in no rush, well, _Cara_ was in no rush. Dream, however, couldn't contain his excitement at finally meeting George.

"So, is George at the house? When do I get to see him?" Dream asked hurriedly, ear-to-ear smile apparent on his face. Cara let out a laugh and shook her head, holding the door open for him and leading the way down the rows of cars to her own. The parking garage seemed to stretch on for miles.

"No, no, George is at the rink right now. We can either go there and surprise him now, or go home and wait for him there. He probably won't be back for two hours if we go home, though." Dream gave Cara a look, eyebrows furrowed? _Rink? What rink?_ Cara must have seen his expression because she stopped walking, mouth opened wide in noticeable shock. "He's never told you?" She asked and at Dream's slow shaking of his head she let out a light, astonished laugh. "Man, I thought he told you everything."

They reached her car—a nice silver Subaru—and packed his things away in the trunk. Dream took the passenger seat with his phone in his lap, confused expressions still lingering. "So do you want to go to the rink, check out what George has been hiding from you? Or would you rather wait at home and let him tell you in his own time?" Dream's eyes went wide as he debated his decisions. _George was hiding something?_ Despite the knowledgethat whatever Cara was talking about was probably something George kept from him for a reason,there was such a strong sense of curiosity that Dream spoke before he thought anything through properly.

"Lets go to the rink." Cara grinned and started up the car (it was weird being a passenger on the left side, but Dream would get used to it with time) and pulled out of the crowded parking garage. She smirked and checked her rearview cameras, not looking at the man next to her.

"I must warn you, George is a completely different person on the ice, might be why he's never told you." _Ice?_ Dream just nodded and stared out the window, taking in the area they drove through. Though they carried out small talk, getting to know each other a bit better and occasionally making fun of George in the process, Dream's mind was clouded. _This was going to be interesting._

<<<->>>

George slouched down on a bench, prying off his shoes and untying his skates that laid on the ground. The others who shared the rink with him were all around—Riley was currently on the ice practicing a new routine to the muffled music that could hardly be heard from where he sat—and George felt content. He belonged on the ice, it was a safe place for him to truly be himself. Sure, he loved his YouTube career and everyone he worked with, but there were only so many ways to express yourself through that. On the ice, with these people, it was limitless.

Xander plopped down next to him, knee drawn up to his chin and arms casually draped behind him. George smirked as Xander moved a hand to smack George on the shoulder.

"You gonna perform that Lady Gaga piece you've been working on today or what?" George shrugged, lacing up his final skate and standing. He checked the clock, his sister had told him not to stay for long because she was planning dinner of some sort.

Cara was staying at his place for a month because of the holiday season rolling up. Even though he told him staying the whole month wasn't necessary, she brushed it off and piled her bags into one of the guest rooms that had conveniently become her designated room over the few years he owned the place. George didn't mind, really. The two would often just randomly hang out around the other's house all the time. Once he stayed over her house for her birthday and ended up living there for a month longer than anticipated. To say they were close was an understatement, the two were practically best friends, the small age gap making that bond larger. His parents would be coming up, too, but on Christmas Eve so they wouldn't be staying as long. They always took the second guest; the three bedroom house layout was convenient for their family.

"Yeah, probably. Who's goin' after Riley? Don't wanna cut in front of anyone, y'know?" Xander rolled his eyes but nodded, standing up with him and leading him towards the rest of the group. He made a funnel around his mouth with his hands and called out to one of them.

"Heyo, Davis! Georgie wants to know when he can have the ice to himself!" The tallest of the group turned and looked at the people he was with, lips mouthing as he counted heads. He had blond hair, cut short on one side so that it draped across the right side of his face practically covering his grey eyes. He smiled at the two as they joined the group.

"Well, RyeRye is going right now," he lifted an arm to motion towards the girl currently doing an axel. "And Sheya wanted to do some double work with Rayyan so give it maybe twenty or thirty minutes? In the meantime, the practice rink is wide open for you guys." George nodded and slung an arm around Xander's shoulder.

"Alright, thank you. C'mon Xan, you're coming to practice with me." Xander obliged and threw his own arm around George's shoulder. He batted his eyelashes at him as they walked off.

"Wanna do some couples work with me? I've been looking into that widespread competition and could use a partner," He pouted his lip and removed himself from George's grip, clasping his hands together in an almost pleading way. George rolled his eyes and continued to the surprisingly vacant rink.

"Hmm... why should I?" George asked, putting a finger to his chin and tapping lightly. Of course he would practice with Xander, the two did it all the time. He was George's main rink mate, they had skated together since they were little and became quick and close friends. Xander removed his hands and placed one on his hip and the other behind his head, striking a pose, pouting lips now less pleading and more intimate.

"Cause I'm hot," he deadpanned which caused George to burst out in laughter, shaking Xander and causing the other to break as well, grasping his chest and stumbling into the rink with him. The two were practically doubled over, faces red, over the stupid response. It didn't take much to rile them up, anything could be the most hilarious statement ever between them. George wiped his nose with the back of his fingerless gloved hand and sighed.

"I _suppose_ I'll work with you, but because I need practice. Not because you're hot." Xander calmed down too, shrugging casually, before the grin took his face back over again. The pair practice different jumps and turns as well as certain partner moves that were more on the difficult side. George hadn't skated with a partner professionally in ages. Heck, he hadn't skated professionally in ages, period. When his channel started growing and getting more attention, skating became just a hobby again. The last time he did anything in front of judges was almost two years ago. And if Xander somehow got it in his head that this meant he would work with him he was mistaken. This was pure practice.

Soon enough, Riley came bounding into the rink and started practicing off to the side, doing basic backwards glides across the ice.

"Sheya and Rayyan are almost up, you ready Georgie?" She asked, skating up to the pair and crashing through their still held hands from a move they had just completed. They almost fell with her weight pulling them down, but they quickly let go and moved so that she was the only one unbalanced. Riley was another one of their old rink mates, the same with Davis. All the others were more on the newer side here, the newest being Sheya who had only been practicing here for two years.

"Yep," George said, popping the 'p'. "You guys gonna watch?" Riley and Xander both nodded, eyes wide. They had seen bits and pieces of what he had been working on and they were excited. George didn't usually skate to more seductive songs.

"Hell yeah, this piece makes you look hot!" Riley said, pumping her fist up. Xander nodded even faster and put an arm around Riley as he had to George earlier.

"Oh poor, foolish Riley, don't you know he _always_ looks hot?" George choked on his laugh and just struck a pose with his hands on his cocked hips. He removed one of his hands to flip his imaginary hair behind his back.

"You know it."

<<<->>>

George glided out onto the ice and did a few laps around the rink, shaking his hands. He loved having an audience. When he skated he _skated._ Everyone else seemed to disappear when the ice was his. He tugged his black jacket over his leggings and turned to fidget with his gloves. After shaking off the small amount of nerves he had accumulated, he made his way to the middle of the rink.

His eyes were trained on the people who sat watching him from the small stands or by the gate leading into the rink. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the main entrance door open and a guy he didn't recognize walked in. _Was there a newbie coming in today? I guess we haven't had one in a while, makes sense._ Xander notices his eyes fall somewhere behind where everyone was and turned around, stopping the newbie in his tracks when everyone followed suit. He just grinned and waved him over.

"What? You a newbie? Get over here! The best of our best is about to perform!" George rolled his eyes at Xander and flipped him off good naturedly. It was true, he supposed. He had been skating for a long time and had a lot of medals, but Xander and Riley were at his level too. The newbie seems uncertain before sighing and coming up in between Xander and Riley. George watched him, taking in the uneasiness he seemed to hold in his walk. He appeared to be looking around for someone... something? When he finally notices George in the center of the ice his eyes widen and he almost takes a step back.

"Like what ya see?" Riley snickers, elbowing the newbie who just stared in clear shock. George turned around and does a few small circles around the middle area again, not paying attention to what the others were saying anymore. Probably Riley and Xander poking fun of the startled newbie.

_You have an audience, George. There's a new addition to it, a new person to perform for. Make a good first impression._

He let his eyes fall on the newcomer, expression still the same as before. George smirked before dropping elegantly to the ice, left leg crossed in front of the right one, right arm holding him up with his left behind his back, head turned to face the walls of the rink away from where the others watched from. _Beginning pose, the music should start any second now...._

As if on cue (because, well, it was) Poker Face by Lady Gaga started playing. It wasn't George's normal go-to type of song to skate to, but he wanted a challenge, he wanted to perfect something new. The second he heard the music he lifted his left arm, jazz hand prominent, straight up above him before whipping his head forward and bringing it down to cover his face ever so slightly.

He eased into the motion, stretching out both arms to the right and leaning down on the ice which was cold to the touch. As soon as the motion began it had ended, as he stretched back and got on one knee, reaching his arms out before bringing them in and quickly turning in a circle on his knees. _One hand out, cover face, slutdrop on knees, back on one knee, hand out, hit it back... back, back. Shrug those shoulders, throw your head back._ He brought himself up to his feet, doing a slight turn before facing forward again. Right leg out and jabbing at the ice causing it to flake back up towards his face. He put his right hand—palm towards his audience—out before bringing it to the side. He moved his shoulders back and forth, the motion moving down to his hips which swayed to the right and left, right and left. He brought his hand to his cheek, opened his mouth and looked over his left shoulder. He clasped his hands together, bringing them closer to his body before turning full circle and finally taking off.

He skated back a few feet before stopping again, legs spread out and brought his hand up and around, back in front of him to reach down and touch the ice. He let himself squat down, rear end out, before bringing the hand off of the ice and to his ass, now standing straight again. _Right arm forward, keep it in front, shrug shoulders, do a little smirk._ He left the spot, doing a small turn before gliding backwards, finally putting distance between himself and the middle of the rink.

He changed his direction every few seconds, sometimes gliding forwards and sometimes gliding backwards. He let his feet guide him; he knew what he was doing, this was his rink. He turned so that he was facing his audience again, kicking up some more ice doing so, and opened his legs. He ran his hands down his thighs, sticking his butt out again. _Did that look hot?_ George finished this up quickly, doing another small turn and skating away, backwards. He made his way to the right side of the rink, backwards, before bringing his arms all the way out and doing a triple axis spin, landing perfectly with one leg outstretched behind him. He continued skating backwards, doing a half circle around the rink and touching his body some more. _Yeah, it did._

He kicked off the ice, back to the right side of the rink and did a camel spin leading into a pancake spin (he had always found it funny, the terminology "pancake" being used to describe such a sophisticated spin that brought his leg up onto his other as he crouched down, nearly sitting on the ice, spinning at speeds seemingly surreal). George let go of his leg but kept it in place, his forehead brushing against the cool skate as he rose up, still spinning, arms out behind him. It was like he was flying.

He stood up fully, kicking back the leg that was folded so that he was doing a slow camel spin. He slowly skated forward, arms moving in rapid directions in front of his body, before he threw his head to the side, one arm on his hip and the other behind his head, with a pout on his lips. He rolled his body from the top down, making sure to wiggle his hips a little more than necessary. _This is my time, I can do what I want to._

Dream watched as his friend broke off into a series of even more turns, effortlessly flying across the ice. The entrance doors could be heard opening, but he didn't acknowledge the new presence until Cara was found smirking at his side.

"He sure is something else on the ice, huh?" She asked, clearly having noted Dream's awestruck gaze. George was now grabbing his right foot while skating backwards, holding it out. He let his free hand trail his leg from his ankle to his hip.

"It takes so much effort not to yell out at him and watch him totally freak and fall but this..." Dream paused, considering his words as George started a broken series of steps resembling quick turns. "...this could make great blackmail." Cara broke off into a fit of laughter nodding her head.

George let his instincts take over as he twisted and turned across the ice, now facing the left side and folding his hands in front of his torso. Soon he would be skating around again, up close with the audience. _If he could just...._

George slowed down his pace considerably, disregarding a few unimportant moves as he carried on at half the speed he was going at before. One hand right on the back of his hip and the other bent back on his forehead in a look of despair, body crouched down ever so slightly. He slowed even more when the group of people grew closer and locked eyes with the newbie, letting him know his presence was acknowledged. He let his gaze shift down, slowly trailing down his body and back up to meet his shocked expression. With a smirk and a wink in his direction, the newcomer let out a choked breath, eyes somehow finding a way to double in size despite already having been wide in surprise. George snickered at the response as he removed his hands from the position he was in, increasing his speed considerably, and picked up the routine right where it would be at this point in the music.

This happened to be a slide on the ice, knees bent out and back touching the cool surface, arms stretched to graze it off to his side. He got up with a hop and turned into a collection of camel spins, leg out and face forward. Following these up with a tucked spin like earlier.

He rose from it with his arms clasped together above his head, still spinning at incredible speeds. The jolt George got from skating always propelled and motivated him. The feeling of a sort of freedom given by just simply smiling across the ice was remarkable, something he wished everyone could feel.

George stepped out of the spin with his arms out, wiggling his shoulders. _Just a few more seconds and...._ He spun on his heels bringing his arms up to frame his face, one spread out on top and the other below his chin. Both were splayed out in jazz hands, one leg slightly in front of the other.

The applause erupted alongside the commentary.

"Woo! That's our sexy Georgie!" That was Xander.

"God _damn_ , who gave you the right to be that _hot_?"

"How long did that take to learn?"

"Woah there, sexy George who?"

"Have my fucking children!" That was also Xander.

George removed his hands and bowed slightly before skating over to the gate and stepping out of the rink.

"Sexy." Was all Xander said when he made it over and George responded with a laugh, turning slightly to stick out and smack his ass with a wild grin and a wink.

"You know it."

Davis just shook his head, laughing at the pair.

"Xander, quit calling everything and everyone sexy, your gay is showing," he said, receiving a playful punch to his arm.

"Who said I was trying to hide it?" He turned back to George whose face was still red from the performance, beads of sweat lining his forehead. He bent down a bit and patted his shoulders, indicating for him to hop on. George did, of course, wrapping his legs around Xander's waist and throwing one arm around his shoulder, the other laying loosely at his side.

"Hot damn, how long did that take you? I've seen you work on bits and pieces but when did ya get the time to put the whole thing together?" Riley asked from where she stood next to Cara— _When had Cara even gotten here?_

"I'll admit I may have come to the rink outside of open times to practice alone but what can I say? No way to woo a crowd if they've seen you perform the whole thing before." Xander secured his grip on George's ankles and ran around the room, weaving between carelessly thrown about shoes and bags.

"One of you is going to get hurt and I sure as hell am not paying the hospital fees!" Rayyan called and everyone laughed. George gently hit Xander's shoulder and he was let down. While George walked back to the others Xander's smirking gaze landed on the new guy who, upon closer inspection, looked to be around their age; light brown hair that could've been a dirty blond and freckles dotting every corner of his face. His eyes looked to be a shade lighter than brown but darker than blue, though they were too far away to pinpoint what color they really possessed.

"You don't look as frazzled anymore, newbie, you like our little Georgie's moves?" George rolled his eyes at the comment but turned to the newcomer as well. His eyes weren't as wide as before but the surprise that filled them was still evident.

"Yeah, you new here or..." he noticed that he shifted a bit closer to Cara and the too locked eyes for a second, seeming to communicate nonverbally, leaving the others out. "So you know my sister then. Cara, who's this?" Cara smirked and crossed her arms.

"I think you know him much more than I do," she replied and George mimicked her position, scoffing. Yet again, his eyes trailed the boy, taking in every detail about him. If George were to put it simply, he was hot. He seemed to tense under George's gaze, but that was soon gone when he locked eyes again.

"I think I'd remember someone like him," George simply stated and the man in front of him let out an all too familiar laugh.

"Oh come on now, Georgie, you don't recognize me?"

_Oh._

_Oh?_

_Fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I realized how long this note was before so I edited it LMAO
> 
> I really enjoy writing George's skating friends, they remind me of my own chaotic friend groups.
> 
> I have decided on an update schedule: Every other Friday. I have another DNF work up called Dispositions so on the Fridays this isn't updated, that one will be. (I will probably get impatient and might change this work to every Friday so look out for that change)  
> \- Razz


	4. Surprise?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of course Dream was the one George was eyeing up and down while skating everything away. Great.

Dream watched in amusement as his friend's eyes grew wide and he took a small step back, darting his gaze from his sister to Dream himself. The roles were now reversed, Dream standing confidently with a cocky smirk and George shrinking into a pit of shock, blush apparent and rising ever so quickly across his face. He closed his eyes for a second and ran his hand down his face, stopping when it fully covered his flustered look.

"Cara..." he spoke, muffled by his palm and drawing out the last 'a'. His sister had tried to stop herself from laughing, she really had, but it proved useless as she started to snicker before it quickly turned into a full out doubled-over laugh. "What. The hell. Did. You. Do?"

"What? I figured you'd be excited to see him! It's not my fault you decided to perform the most alluring routine you could've done right as we walked in!" Dream bit his lip to keep in the laugh that was crawling up the back of his throat as George let go of his face, eyes wide and face red. He threw his arms out at his side and waved at the rink around them.

"You didn't need to bring him _here_! Do you know how long I've kept this from everyone and the way I finally reveal it is through skating to a fucking Lady Gaga song?" That was it. That was what broke Dream. He bent over with Cara as they grasped each other for support as if they'd done this a thousand times before. George just stood in shock, groaning exasperatingly and putting his hands back over his face. The group had just stood back, watching in confusion before Sheya broke their silence.

"Who are you and what did you do to break our George?" she asked and this just made Dream laugh even harder, though he stood up a little straighter and tried regaining a proper composure. Xander came up behind George and threw his arms around his shoulder, leaning down to George's ear but speaking at a normal volume.

"George, wanna tell us how this guy made you look like a tomato's twin right after you did the same to him? There something you aren't filling us in on or~" George removed his hands and glared at Xander who was wiggling his eyebrows menacingly. He pushed him off of his shoulder and finally looked at Dream who was smirking at him which only added onto George's (not so) suppressed embarrassment.

" _I_ broke your George?" he asked, looking at the group. "I've never seen him like... like _that_ before, so I could ask the same of you!" Dream made sure George's eyes were on him as he spread out his arms and twirled in a circle, bringing his hands back in to run down his body and squatting down into an uncoordinated slutdrop similar to the one George had performed on ice. Riley broke off into a fit of laughter and came to George's other side, poking him in the ribs.

"This dude! I like this dude!" She said, still laughing. _Remind me to murder my friends later. All of them._ George thought as everything settled down slightly. Dream had stopped laughing and just stood staring at George who hesitantly held the gaze back. He had a lopsided grin and opened his arms out, George smiling lightly and accepting the embrace. Dream smelled of citrus and sand— _Maybe that was a Florida thing?_ —and a faint cologne that he couldn't make out the particular scent of. _Well I probably just smell like sweat, nice._ Dream's arms secured themselves around George's waist and he let his own arms do the same, content, yet still mildly flustered from earlier, in the taller male's arms.

"I didn't realize how short 5'9 really is until now," he spoke. You could practically _hear_ the smirk in his voice and George laughed, squeezing him a little tighter before letting go and looking at him once again—not in the almost flirtatious way the piece made him do earlier, but more in an awestruck and unbelieving manner, taking in every detail he may have missed earlier. He finally gave in and let himself lose himself fully in the comforting way Dream's eyes were lit up in adoration and how his lightly freckled skin scrunched up while he smiled. His eyes, George decided, were the green he knew them to be, despite only being able to see them in a dull yellow.

"I'm average height, it's not my fault you're just freakishly tall," he retorted, still grinning. Dream let out a small laugh and the two just stood there, welcoming the fact that there they indeed were, face to face. This was real life, they were really there together.

"Just kiss already!-" Xander shrieked from behind them as Riley gasped and covered his mouth with her hand, wrestling him as he tried removing her grip. George just turned and laughed at the pair, running a hand through his hair as the other three just stood shaking their heads.

"So," he said, ignoring his friends and turning to his sister. "What's the game plan here? I can get details on the way home but what's happening? Why is he... _here_?" George stole another look at Dream as Cara clasped her hands together and nodded.

"Right, this was all kind of dropped on you in an unexpected way-"

" _Very_ unexpected," the two both said at the same time, glancing at each other and laughing it off quickly to let Cara continue.

"Dream will be staying here for about two weeks, give or take. I figured you wouldn't mind but hey, if you wanna kick him out early it's your house!" George chuckled, his shoulders bouncing slightly, and rolled his eyes as his sister continued. "We can figure out sleeping arrangements at home, and his stuff is in the trunk right now. Some of your other friends reached out and helped so they all know he's here, you've just been left out of everything." Cara smiled and shook her head slowly, jabbing her thumb towards Dream. "But it was all his idea." George titled his head and smiled at Dream who in return wrapped his arm around the shorter's shoulder.

"Told you Sap's present wouldn't live up to mine!" George rolled his eyes but grinned, leaning into the grasp.

"Your present is gracing me with your presence? I already see all of these nerds on the daily," he lazily gestures towards the other skaters with his free hand. "Does that mean today is early Christmas?" He teases and Dream lets out a small wheeze as Xander and Riley give each other a look over George's choice of words.

"Woah George, such a gold digger, meeting your best friend isn't enough for you? I can always just leave and fly out to Texas to see Sapnap, y'know." George shook his head rapidly, pulling away from his friend.

"You know what I mean, Dream. Don't start," he said, rolling his eyes as his smile stayed perched on his face. Dream laughed and shrugged his shoulders, turning over to Cara who was by Davis, talking quietly to each other. George couldn't help but notice and actually _admire_ how when Dream laughed his whole body shook a little, and the skin around his mouth tilted up in small dimples. If his laugh was contagious before, it was even more so now.

Dream asked, brought his gaze back to George who turned to look at the wired in clock on the wall.

"Well I was planning on staying here for about an hour longer but we can head home whenever you want, the jetlag will probably catch up with you soon." He paused for a second, glancing towards where the rest of his little group stood. "Oh, right, I should probably give you guys a proper introduction."

"No, just flirt with the new random guy, realize you know him, have a whole ass reunion together and then just leave, telling us absolutely _nothing_. Thanks, Georgie," Rayyan said sarcastically and the others laugh along with them. George, choosing to ignore the playful jab, speaks back up using one hand to wave towards Dream as if they needed a reminder of who he was talking about.

"This is Dream, y'know, Mr. YouTube?" He half asked, half stated and Xander perked up, nodding his head quickly.

"The one you talk about all the time? Did you know he was coming? And that he looks like... _that_?" George rolls his eyes at the string of questions.

"Yes, but I don't talk about him _all_ the time, no and no," he responded quickly and Xander nodded, slower this time, allowing George to continue. "Well, um, Dream, these are all my friends. The annoying one is Xander," A 'Hey!' of protest comes from his lips but George continues, talking over him with a smirk. "The one who wrestled him is Riley, Davis is talking to Cara, and the other two are Rayyan and Sheya." He pointed to each of them in turn.

"Nice to meet all of you," Dream said with a huge smile plastered on his face. "So you're telling me George acts like this _every_ _day_ around you guys?" He adds and the group bursts out laughing. Well, all except George who muttered something under his breath that nobody could quite catch, but judging by the look he was giving, his friends they could only guess.

"Pshh, shy and reserved Georgie is a myth here!" Xander answered, throwing his head back a bit to jeer at his friend.

"Oh shut up, Xander, I'm not _that_ different here," George huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. Xander stopped laughing only to be dragged back in after making eye contact with Dream who also broke out in a hysterical wheeze.

"Yeah, okay," Dream gasped slightly for a breath of air before continuing. "I doubt I've ever heard you respond to or even _use_ the word 'sexy' for the whole time I've ever known you!"

"Well I suppose there's a lot about me you don't know then, Dream." George didn't mean to say it the way he did, for it to sound almost taunting, but this mishap was worth it when he saw Dream falter with a response for a mere half second before regaining his easy smile.

"As heartwarming as this all is, I have somewhere to be in two hours so we need to get home." Cara's voice sounded over everyone else's and George nodded. He stepped away from Dream and walked over to where his belongings were piled and began to take off his old, run down skates. After everything was packed up and he had said goodbye to everyone, he turned to follow his sister out of the bubbling atmosphere which was the rink.

"Oh, George! Make sure to think over that duos competition! I'll send you the info later, you cant leave me hanging!" Xander called out and George huffed, sticking his hands into his coat pocket.

"I'll _consider_ it, but no promises, Xand." Xander nodded his head up and down south a smile wide while he waved the small group off. It was the closest to a yes he would get from George, and he knew further persuasion would be necessary.

With a few acts of parting, Cara led the way out of the rink and to the parking lot where the familiar car awaited their presence. Dream, who was directly at George's side, nudged his shoulder with his own, causing the older to tilt his head up a bit and smile lightly.

"Oh, and by the way, George," Dream started, increasing the distance between them a bit and walking forward some. "Don't think I forgot about this." And his response was spinning around so his back was towards George and copying the way he had turned and smacked his butt with a wink. George simply groaned and hid his face back in his hands, shaking his head at the successful laughter Dream burst into at his reaction.

"I didn't know you were there you asshole."

"Oh, so if you did you wouldn't have done it?" Dream nagged, now back at George's side and poking him in the ribs causing him to jerk back a little. Dream continued poking his sides until he removed his hands from his face.

"Well I didn't necessarily wake up this morning and think 'Huh, today I want to reveal everything I do outside of work to my best friend in the most embarrassing way possible,' so _yeah_." They had made their way to the car and George reclaimed the shotgun seat, Dream in the back with his backpack seated on the other side.

"Why haven't you told me about all of this before? In all honesty, you were _amazing_ out there! You know I wouldn't have judged you or anything for doing all of that, right?" The shift in the tone made George wince a little, shaking his head but letting himself smile at the kind words.

"I dunno, just wanted to keep it separated, y'know? I have you guys, my job, and my online persona that I've created and have to maintain. I feel like throwing in my unfiltered personality would shake that up a bit. Plus, this is my real life, my real friends—not that you guys aren't my real friends, I just mean that these are the people I've grown up with—and my hobbies. I just don't see a reason for them to mix." Dream nodded at his words and he had to hand it to him. He knew all to well what hiding a personal life was like, and respected him for it all. "Oh, and thank you."

"Hmm?" Dream hummed at his last added on sentence and George giggled, looking out of the car window and analyzing the familiar route home.

"Thank you, you said you enjoyed the routine, so thank you," George clarified and Dream let out a small 'ohh' and nodded. Seeing his best friend there, in the front seat with his head rested against the window, smiling contently and talking easily with him, finally opening up just a bit (despite being forced to because of the sudden meeting) made him happy. Giddy even.

"Well you deserve it, must've taken a while to learn." Dream didn't even bother to keep up with the teasing, there was no point when what George had was a real and true talent. Plus, there would be plenty of moments to get under his skin throughout his stay here.

"Eh, I suppose so." George let the subject drop and Cara brought up the few things about Dream's stay that they hadn't had time to discuss in the frigid building like when George's parents would arrive and what they would eat for dinner (they decided to stop at a burrito place on the way home considering it was late and the jetlag was indeed getting to the Floridian) for the remainder of the ride.

When they pulled up to a large development and Cara made her way up a drive, parking the car besides the tanned garage doors, George looked back to where his companion was seated, eagerly staring out the window at his new surroundings.

"C'mon, I'll pop the trunk, you grab your backpack and Cara and I can get your other two bags," George said, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door to get out. Dream followed, grabbing his bag and making sure that none of the zippers were open, before stepping out as well.

"I can grab them, it's fine," Dream assured, making his way to the back of the car and pulling out the luggage. "Plus, you have your skatey bag to carry!" He pointed at the bag that held George's old skates and a water bottle. He rolled his eyes at the blonde and reached in to grab his final bag before he could, smiling.

"It's freezing out here, come on!" Cara called, already at the main door and fumbling with her set of keys upon realizing they didn't need her assistance. George rolled his eyes but hooked his arm around Dream's and pulled him up to the front of his house. Cara had gotten the door open and was already inside, taking off her boots.

"Cat!" Was the first reaction Dream had once his shoes were off and coat neatly arranged by the door. He ran through the small walkway to the open living room, kneeling down onto the carpeted ground and opening his arms for the small grey bundle of fur to run into. The cat hesitantly came up to him, sniffing the tips of his fingers before accepting that he posed no threat and rubbed his head against Dream's hands. Cat quickly changed position and hopped up into his lap, purring as he got comfortable. If Dream was smiling before, he was absolutely beaming now.

"He loves me!" He said, creases beside his eyes increasing and dimples extremely noticeable. George just beamed right back. It was the first time he had seen his best friend. _It was the first time he had seen his best friend._ And he looked so happy, George couldn't help but kneel down next to him, pressing their legs together gently to allow the cat to have access to his lap in case he wanted to switch. But, as it turns out, Cat was completely content where he was.

"He loves you," George agreed with a huff, crossing his arms as he tried to coo his own cat towards him, but to no avail. Dream laughed at his misfortune and just scooped the cat up further into his arms, placing a soft peck to the top of the he-cat's pale silver fur. And something in George might have sparked right then, different from the more intense feelings that he had felt while on the ice, more soft and subtle and completely breathtaking. But George wouldn't say anything if he realized how his cheeks heated up and a voice nagged at the back of his mind forming incomprehensible sentences about his friend at his side, legs touching and faces close as they sat in a comfortable silence, gazing at the dozing cat.

That was the start of it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I have gone through and edited everything so it the fic now takes place in December. I'm sorry for pulling such a crappy author move but I promise it'll make the story flow better. Thank you guys so much for the support and feedback (over 100 kudos already? Geez, I forgot how fast AO3 moves, thank you!) it really makes my day. I try to respond to all comments! :)
> 
> Not my update schedule changing- Updates every Friday! Dispositions still has an every other Friday schedule, though!
> 
> \- Razz


	5. Applied

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George is stubborn, so Xander takes matters into his own hands.

What George didn't expect when waking up the next morning? One giant crash, three softer thuds following the first, and a not-so-quiet string of curses being thrown out into the air after.

He was contemplating just letting whatever his sister was doing play out, glancing at his clock which read quarter past ten. Then he realized that it wasn't Cara's voice he heard, and with a groan the events of the previous day came back to him.

Dream was here.

He was here and real. He wasn't just some 3D blocky figure that George had somehow manifested into becoming his best friend for years. He didn't hide behind his iconic mask and he didn't dress head to toe in green like they had joked about before.

Instead, he was bundled up in a sweater and grumbling about how cold it was in England compared to Florida—it was bound to snow soon and George couldn't wait to see his reaction to it. He was most certainly not fictional. He had stood right there with George just the other day, his eyes widening and catching a spark that just made George want to stand back and admire the flickering fire behind his expression. It was as if every new thing thrown at him was like placing logs onto a fire, his excitement being the flame that just seemed to be only capable of growing. George wondered if he was always like that, and realized that now he would finally get to find out.

Fire and ice. What a nice pair.

So yeah, Dream was here and real. George knew this from the commotion that only grew louder by the time he had opened his bedroom door clad in a sweatshirt that was just a size too big (it was barely noticeable and made it ten times comfier) and a pair of basketball shorts that just barely poke out from beneath the other fabric.

As George made his way down the stairs, he could hear hushed voices seemingly trying to 'Shush!' each other. Sure enough, Dream and Cara were hunched together over the kitchen island, a few boxes sitting at their feet.

"Am I interrupting some secretive meeting or something?" George asked, stretching one arm all the way up and over his head, hand balled into a fist, while the other tried to cover the yawn that had escaped his mouth.

“Finally, took you long enough to get up.”

“Morning Sleeping Beauty!”

The two spoke at the same time as George walked into the kitchen, sitting down on one of the barstools that sat on the opposite side of the island that the pair was standing at.

“Morning to you too, now can someone tell me why I woke up to the sound of somebody destroying my house?” George asked, voice raspy from having just woken up. Begrudgingly, he stood back up and made his way for the fridge, taking out a carton of apple juice and placing it on the counter while he went to fetch a glass.

“What do you mean ‘what are we doing’? There’s less than a week until Christmas and you haven’t done a single thing to prepare!” George just blinked at Dream, filling his glass and replacing the carton back into the fridge. He picked it up and took a sip before responding.

“Prepare?” This received an eye roll from both his sister and Dream.

“Well duh! You always make me do the hard work every year, now I finally have someone to help me!” Cara smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, nodding at Dream. George walked over to the island, setting down his glass before kneeling in front of the boxes to peer inside.

“Don’t act like I don’t help, putting up lights is just boring,” Dream laughed at his friend and walked over to kneel beside him, pulling out a box of unopened multicolor lights.

“C’mon, George, I came to the UK to spend Christmas with you which means that we’re going to make it the best one yet!” He hit the top of the brunet’s head lightly with the small box before tossing it back in the larger. “And that means that if I suffer for the greater good, so do you!” Dream hooked his arm underneath both of George’s, trying to stand up and pull the older with him.

“Stop, you’re going to kill me and then I _won’t_ be able to help!” Dream pondered George’s words for a second before shrugging, and continuing to drag him up into his arms. Cara laughed at their odd positioning—Dream’s right arm was hooked underneath George’s armpit and his hand rested on his chest while the other was trying to steady him as if he wasn’t the reason George almost fell back to the ground. He wriggled his way out of Dream’s grasp and sighed, turning to down the rest of his juice.

“Fine, let me get dressed first and I’ll meet you guys out there.” That was all Cara and Dream needed because they both let out a cheer and high fived. George watched the two start to gather the dropped boxes back up again and head outside.

Just as George had made it back up the stairs and into his room, his phone buzzed. He shut his bedroom door and tossed it into his messy sheets on his bed and focused on picking out an outfit that would be appropriate for working outside in the cold. Settling on a pair of jeans and a white sweater, he placed them in his lap as he sat on his bed, picking up his phone and unlocking it.

\---

**Skater Nerd 😼🙉**

GEORGE

GEORGEE

GEORGEEEEEE

**_[Delivered 10:27 A.M.]_ **

**George**

WHAT

WHATT

WHATTTTTT

**_[Delivered 10:31 A.M.]_ **

**Skater Nerd 😼🙉**

LOOK AT THIS

YOU KNOW IM NOT GONNA STUP ASKIN YOU RIGHT??

[attached link]

**_[Delivered 10:32 A.M.]_ **

**George**

Im not opening it

**_[Delivered 10:32 A.M.]_ **

**Skater Nerd 😼🙉**

WHYYY?

YOU DONT KNOW WHAT IT IS THOUGHG

**George**

fine.

\---

George knew what it would be, and he was completely right. Upon clicking on the link he was brought to a familiar page that had been altered only slightly over the past few years. Every year there was a doubles skating event held for a nice sum of money and awards. It was nothing much, just something held for skaters in England. He had done it three times before, but with his content blowing up online he couldn’t last year without running the risk of someone somewhere finding him out. This also means that he most certainly wouldn’t be able to this year with how much he had grown within the small period of time.

But still, he looked through the rules and criteria's, who could sign up and how to apply, all of the works necessary in doing an event like this. It seemed they were doing a holiday theme this year, which makes sense considering Christmas was a mere six days away. As George continued to scan through the site his eyes subconsciously rested on the contestants page. They scanned over the list once. Twice. Three times. _No._

They found Xander’s name.

And the one next to it.

George didn’t know if he had ever picked up his phone and dialed a number faster in his life.

“XANDER! What the actual fuck?” He yelled into his phone the second his friend picked up. For a few seconds, his only reply was a snort followed by a train of laughter. He even thought he heard him slam his hand on something—a table most likely.

“Hii Georgie!” Xander kept his tone sweet and simple, tapping on a button to request a video call. George considered declining but decided that in order to get his point across he would have to be visible. It didn’t work. As soon as Xander’s face filled his screen (he was indeed sitting at his kitchen table, eating what looked to be a bowl of cereal) George watched as he fell down into another spiraling pit of taunting laughter.

“I’m sorry but I can’t take you seriously with that stupid angry face you have on!” George just sighed and shook his head, bringing his phone over to position on his dresser so he could get dressed. He quickly threw his shirt over his head and replaced it with the sweater, his pants following directly after, before going back in frame and grabbing his phone.

“You want to tell me why both of our names have been registered and given a time slot for the competition? You do realize that you can’t just wiggle your way in, you need to apply and everything, right?” George ran a hand down his face and glared at the curly-haired man on his phone. As Xander went to explain, George made his way down the stairs to throw on a light coat, scarf, and shoes, ready to head outside and help with the lights.

“Well… I knew that you wouldn’t agree if we seriously sat down and talked about signing up so I kinda took matters into my own hands?” It was more of a question than a statement. George reached for the front door handle and stepped out into the frigid winter air, staying put on his porch to allow Xander to continue. “Before your face turns into a visual representation of the Grinch, hear me out here. You remember how much fun skating professionally for real audiences and judges is, right? Plus, we did this two years ago, it only makes sense to do it again!”

Xander wasn’t the best at being convincing, if George was being honest he sucked at it. But he still humored the curly haired man as he tried to get George to give in.

"You still didn't tell me _how_ you got us in without going through the whole audition ordeal." Xander smirked and cocked an eyebrow.

"Remember that routine we did to that one Trans Siberian Orchestra song?-"

"XANDER WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?"

More laughter from the damn phone. A loud groan from George as he bit his tongue to stop himself from cussing him out. The sound of footsteps—two pairs to be specific—coming up in front of where he still stood on the porch, waving his arms around at the small device in his hand.

"George, why are you screaming at your phone?" The Brit whipped his head up and came face to face with Dream who had Cara at his side, biting the insides of her cheeks to keep from laughing.

"Cara, you're driving me to Xander's right now so I can beat his ass."

"Well considering we need to practice, how about you save your anger for the rink? I'll see you in half an hour?" Cara stopped trying to hold it in and broke out into a hit of laughter while Dream stood in confusion, eyes darting between the two (three if you count Xander on George's phone).

"Is this something that's normal here or…?" He trailed off and just sighed as Cara nodded her head.

"Please, this is an every day here. I'll start the car, you two can stay at the rink and I'll come back to finish the lights." When Dream opened his mouth to protest Cara cut him off before he got the chance to speak. "I do it alone every year, I'll be fine now. Maybe George can teach you to skate or something while you're at it?"

Dream looked expectantly at George who just shrugged. "If you don't wanna go to the rink I'll save beating Xander for later, it's nothing new." Xander started protesting through the line and George responded by turning his volume all the way down while sticking his tongue out at his rink mate.

"I'm down to go if you want to." That was all George needed. With a smile and a few more words exchanged, George went back into his house to grab his skating bag, hung up with Xander, and plopped himself down next to Dream in the back seat of Cara's car.

<<->>

“Text me when you need a ride back,” Cara yelled out her car window before rolling it back up and driving away, out of the parking lot. Dream and George stood side by side in front of the rink doors, George’s bag clutched to his side and Dream with his hands in his pockets.

“Sorry, I know you came all the way out here to see me and I’m already dragging you into things you probably don’t care about-” Dream cut George off with a small chuckle and a nudge of his shoulder.

“C’mon, you think I care about what we’re doing? I haven’t even been here for twenty four hours yet, don’t worry about wasting my time! And as for dragging me around?” He gave a small smile as he made his way to the entrance, clearly done standing out in the cold. “I don’t care what we’re doing, it’s good enough that I’m here and actually with you! Not to mention you have this amazing talent that I’ve never known about before, and I’d love to learn more about who you are outside of our calls.”

George reciprocated the smile, coming up behind him to push the doors open and enter the small lobby. It was warmer in there, very snug with a desk and a few couches off to the side. From there it split into two doorways, one on the left and one on the right, and a larger set of doors right behind the desk. The door on the left led to a small cafeteria with an average concession stand, while the other carried on to the lockers and restrooms.

The brunet carried on past the empty desk to the larger pair of doors that opened up to the rinks themselves. “There’s never anyone really there at the desk when we come to practice. They have lessons here but since it’s the holiday season is around they’re on a break until mid January. Besides, Davis practically owns the place considering he’s been here the longest and helps out with the lessons.” Dream laughed and went to hold open the door for George who rolled his eyes and smiled.

“So you guys are pretty popular around here then, huh?” George shrugged and opened his mouth to respond before closing it again when his eyes landed on the figure laying across the skate checkout counter.

“You asshole.”

“Love you too, George!” Xander hopped off of the counter and came over to the pair, taking George’s bag out of his hands and sitting back down on one of the benches in front of them.

“You wanna tell me why you signed me up for that, sent in a year old video, and didn’t tell me anything about it _at all_?” George crossed his arms over his chest while Dream stood there, looking back and forth between the two.

“Wait what?” Xander was now the one looking back and forth, eyes wide and face red as he tried to keep in his laugh. As proven before, nobody here is really all that good at it.

“You mean to tell me George dragged you all the way here without telling you why? God damn, George! You paying him or something?” George exhaled and reached down to snatch his bag back. After fishing around the pockets he found his phone and moved around to pull something up.

“Read over the page then press the button to look at the other opened apps and watch the video.” Dream took the phone from his hands and they stood in silence as his eyes scanned over the screen. He slowly nodded his head and George peeked over his shoulder to be met with the applicants page, his thumb over both of their names. When he moved to click the button next and tap on the opened video, George visibly cringed.

The familiar music played as Dream turned the volume up, eyeing the video presented for him right in front of his face. George braced himself for the teasing, and the snickers, but they never came. The Floridian made it through the video without a word, clicked off the phone, and handed it back to George.

“What are you mad about? That was so good, I’ve never seen anyone do anything like that on ice before! Granted, I don’t really watch figure skating all that often, but still! I think that you should totally do it.” Dream’s words shocked George just a little. I mean, he expected jabbing and lighthearted jokes about how they had performed and the moves they were completing. It hadn’t been much, just a routine they put together for a holiday celebration last year in the rink. But for some reason, Dream’s encouragement made George feel lighter about the whole situation, and slowly he nodded along.

“It would be nice to do something big like that again, it’s been a while.” Xander gasped and jumped up, wrapping his arms around Dream’s figure.

“You’re a magician! A sorcerer! A mythical being! I don’t know what it is, but you have this effect on George and… holy shit, you got him to agree!” Dream just laughed as Xander pulled away, hopping back and forth on his feet and stared at George with a pleading look.

“I didn’t say I _agreed_ , not that I have a choice because _somebody_ already went out and made it for me. I’d do it if I wasn’t so worried about people seeing it, I’m pretty sure they still broadcast it on a few channels and my viewership has grown immensely over the past year.” Dream nodded his head slowly, processing what George had just said.

“Well, what’s it gonna hurt? I mean, it’s totally up to you and I get it if you want to keep all of this to yourself but you know nobody is gonna judge you, right? At the small off chance that it does get out, it’s just another thing that makes you so unique! I know for a fact that it won’t change anything, and who knows? You may actually _gain_ some viewers from it!”

Dream’s words, once again, caught George off guard. He had to admit, he never really thought that revealing it would aid him in _gaining_ viewership, but there was a high possibility. And as for the reaction? George had thought about it a lot, every aspect of it, every possibility. Skating for George was a way to forget about everything that was going on. It was a way to be himself and hang around with some of his favorite people in the world. It was his escape, his happiness. George just didn’t know if it would be the same once the word was out.

“I… suppose it wouldn’t be a bad thing to do it. I mean, what are the odds that it were to get out? And if it got out, what are the chances of it getting big?” With a sigh he looked over to Xander and let a grin spread across his face. “Why the hell do I let you drag me into these types of things?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> The next update should be on Christmas day, but if I do not get to it because of the holiday I hope you understand and I'm sorry if it comes down to that. If I don't upload, I'd like to wish you all a happy holiday season no matter what you celebrate, and if you don't celebrate anything then I wish you a happy winter break!
> 
> Thank you for all the support on this and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I have everything planned out for the future so I promise things will ~spice~ up a bit LOL
> 
> \- Razz


	6. Literally Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream tries to skate.. and it goes horribly wrong.

"Why is it so big?!"

George stared in awe as Xander held up one of the skates that matched his friend's shoe size from behind the counter. Dream let out a wheeze and took it from Xander before hoisting himself onto the counter to try it on, George's eyes still wide.

"You just have tiny feet!" A fake gasp sounded after Dream's accusation and Xander started violently shaking his head.

"You don't wanna get into that conversation with George. Trust me, I have experience and battle scars." Hearing Xander's plead George picked up his left skate that he was about to put on and held it above his head, trying to hide his grin.

"And I'm not afraid to give you more." Dream continued to laugh as he laced up both skates, ready to hop down.

"Never mind the size of them, how do you guys walk with these things?" Dream asked, slipping off of the counter and standing off to the side, one hand keeping his balance by grasping the surface.

George laughed and shook his head, bringing down his skate and putting it on. Xander (who was already in his skates) came out grabbed Dream's shoulder.

"Have you seriously never skated before?" Dream shook his head as he tried studying himself with Xander's help. George stood and walked to Dream's other side, locking eyes with his rink mate. "George, today is no longer a day for practice, it is a day for teaching this big baby the ways of the ice!"

Dream let his mouth fall open, rolling his eyes at the term "baby". George, on the other hand, just started laughing and shrugged, letting go of the Floridian's shoulder.

"C'mon, it's not that hard. Have you ever roller skated before?" Dream shook his head as the three began walking towards the (surprisingly empty) main rink. "Well it's hardly different at all, it's basically the same thing!"

It was most certainly not.

Dream learned that the hard way.

After his fourth fall of the day he prompted for just staying on the ice in a starfish position, stomach to the cool ground.

"George, I'm starting to think you've never roller skates before," he grumbled, breath warm against the ice causing a tiny cloud to form by his mouth. The Brit groaned and skated up to Dream's side, kneeling next to his head.

"Whatever, it's only been half an hour and you were doing pretty good! You just need to... work on your positioning a bit. And your balance. And the way you push off. And your-"

"George! I get it, I suck!" Dream's voice was exasperated, but he enjoyed spending time getting to learn the thing George spent most of his time doing, even if it was a pain in the ass. Literally.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Dream is right. He sucks." This got him to shoot up from the ice, suddenly ready to get back to work.

"Hey!" Dream didn't get to say much because Xander was already wheezing from his original reaction alone. With a sigh, Dream begrudgingly stood, wobbling a bit before being steadied by George's hand.

"Ready to keep going?"

"Ready to prove him wrong? Hell yeah." Dream's competitiveness made George crack a smile and reach grab his wrist.

"Great, then let's get back to practicing simple backwards gliding." With a nod and a smile Dream moved his hand down to intertwine their fingers, letting George guide him in the new motion.

<<->>

The rink visit lasted for over two hours and was filled with falling and laughter quickly following, linking arms and trying to skate in a line of three, and lots of chasing each other on the ice.

It made George feel a swell of pride at how well his two best friends got along with each other. A part of him wished that he let his two lives mix a little sooner, though he was still hesitant.

Cara had came back around and picked them up, offering Xander a ride only to be politely declined. He opted for walking over to Riley's house who lived just fifteen minutes away from the rink.

The car radio softly played Christmas music while George and Dream sat next to each other in the back row, neither of them opting for shotgun. Instead, Dream's arm was wrapped around George's shoulder as he stared down at the brunet's phone screen that was displaying past skating routines and outfits.

Dream stopped George's slow scrolling at a photo that was taken three years ago. Despite all his efforts to continue passed it, Dream took the phone from George's hand with the arm that wasn't wrapped around his friend.

The Brit turned his head away, trying to hide how quickly his face was turning red, but Dream didn't help these matters when he pressed his head into the crook of George's neck, still shaking with laughter. Every breath and wholehearted wheeze coming from him was imprinted into George's skin, making the older male freeze, ears red and cheeks pink.

"You- you wore that?" Dream asked once he had calmed down. His face was no longer directly pressed into George so that his nose was nuzzled into the fabric of his sweater, but he didn't move his head. And when George realized that his shoulder had become a pillow and Dream's arm around his shoulder wasn't moving, he gave in and moved closer to get comfortable.

"Yes, I did. Riley picked it for me though, so don't start bashing my fashion taste!" The rebuttal was weak, and if George was being honest he helped Riley pick it out at the time. But he wouldn't let it be known that the sparkly and oh-so-very skin tight costume was his choice.

"Hmm, well if it were on anyone else I might bash it but it looks good on you." George rolled his eyes and moved his unoccupied hand up to flick Dream's head before resting his cheek back against the top.

"Shut up, that was years ago, let's keep scrolling," George suggested, changing the subject slightly to which Dream just hummed as a reply.

And Cara? She was perfectly fine driving quietly if it meant she got to listen to the two idiots in the back of her car giggle and tease each other in hushed voices.

Because they were both happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Merry Christmas (eve as of the time I'm publishing it for me)!! I hope you all have a fantastic holiday season, thank you for all the support here!!
> 
> This is a shorter chapter (around 1/3 of the normal chapter length) that I threw together today because I didn't want to miss an update. That being said, it's shorter so that I didn't give you guys something unsatisfactory. So enjoy the fluffy filler chapter, next update will be longer, I promise!


	7. Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George is woken up again with yet another one of Cara's Christmas activities to fulfill.

It wasn't the faint sounds of George's sibling getting his friend to rummage through his things that woke him up the next morning; instead it was the sudden weight that was suddenly on top of him, and a pair of arms shaking his shoulders that did the trick.

"Dream? What the hell?" George spoke out, opening his eyes slightly to take in his friend who sat half on him and half on his bed, before closing them again while halfheartedly trying to nudge him off.

"George it's like eleven! Cara told me to get you, she has plans for something cool today." When George's only response was a groan Dream sighed, slipping off of the brunet's body and onto the floor next to where he laid. Dream reached up to grab a hold of George's hand, attempting a new angle to pull him off of the bed from.

"You're so clingy, give me a few minutes and I'll be out."

Dream didn't let go of his hand until he was sure George wouldn't be budging any time soon. With a sigh he let go and stood up, making his way towards the bedroom door.

"Y'know, I'm the one who should be tired here, jetlag and all. What's your excuse?" Dream playfully jabbed, pointing an accusing finger at the lump under the comforter on George's bed. The lump shifted, made a noise of displeasure, and then sat up.

"Shut up and get out so I can get dressed." George paused for a second, bringing his hand up to cover a yawn that escaped his mouth. With a quick second thought, he retracted it to add, "Unless you wanna watch?" in a sarcastic tone accompanied with a smirk.

All it got was a scoff and eye roll from Dream, early unamused. He was at the doorway by this point, hand already covering the knob slightly.

"Mhm, you wish I would." Was all he said before exiting George's bedroom and letting the door shut behind him.

With a small laugh George got himself out of bed and over to his closet where he picked out the day's outfit and continued on with his morning routine. After quickly combing through his hair a few times to make it partially neat, he left to meet the other two downstairs.

Just like yesterday, Dream and Cara were in the kitchen, although instead of holding boxes, they were crowded around the large windows that stood directly above the sink. Dream turned around with a gasp, rushing over to grab his friend by the wrist and quickly guide him over to the window.

"George! It's snowing!" Sure enough, when Cara stepped out of the way as to allow more space for the pair, the brunet could see the full, white flakes clearly. And when he turned his head towards the American at his side, he felt like someone punched him in the gut, though he couldn't quite place why.

Or maybe he was just telling himself he didn't know why. Probably a mix of both.

"C'mon, you're acting like you've never seen snow before," George teased while rolling his eyes which were quickly met with a certain pair of dark yellow ones. Dream's eyebrows knit together and he gave George a look that could have been the visual representation of "..." when it clicked. George's mouth formed a small 'o' and he stayed quiet for a few seconds before the corners of his mouth pulled up into a tight grin and he started laughing.

"Now way? I mean, I know you've lived in Florida your whole life but you never left the state for a holiday or something? You've seriously never experienced snow before?" The dirty blond frantically gasped and poked George's stomach before turning to cross his arms with a huff, his friend giggling at his childish behavior.

"It's not like I've ever had a chance to leave Florida around this time of year, all of my family is there! Just let me be excited in peace." George let out a good natured sigh before his face lighted up and he scurried away from the kitchen. When Dream rose a curious eyebrow at Cara she just shrugged and went back to focusing on getting the coffee machine to start.

George was back in the room after a few minutes, pile of clothes in his hands and boots on his feet. He dropped the pile onto the island and waved Dream over next to him.

"Well don't just stand there, get bundled up so we can go out and enjoy it!" You would think that Dream would be the one freaking out and begging the other to mess around in the bitter weather, and don't get him wrong, he was ecstatic, but George seemed to like the idea of introducing "snow" to his best friend for the first time in his life.

"Woah, woah, woah, slow your role there, Georgie," Cara spoke up with a laugh, moving to pull down a to-go coffee mug from George's cupboards. "Wait just a second, you can do that while carrying out todays plans!"

George frowned at his sister to which Dream chuckled, picking up a hat that was two sizes too big for anyone in the house but for some reason still present, and placed it down on the Brit's head. He let out a muffled noise of unamusement which just made Dream laugh even more.

"Well then, what are your oh-so-great plans for today?" George asked, crossing his arms over his chest and making no move to take off the hat obscuring his vision. Dream thought he looked cute with the red cap blocking half of his face, though he would never say it out loud.

"Look around! What's missing to fulfill the Christmas spirit? Wait, don't answer that because there's a lot missing, but that's why I'm here!" George could hear his sister pat the counter, making a mimic drum roll before continuing. "We're getting our tree today!"

Now was when George decided the hard would have to move, though he tried to keep it scrunched up on the top of his head as a way to sort of keep on what Dream had given him.

"But we have a fake one?-" Cara cut him off with a shake of her head as she maneuvered the coffeepot out of the machine to fill up her takeaway cup.

"Bruh, fake trees are so boring though. And besides, I'm sure down in Florida the only live trees they have are palm ones so it'll be an experience." Dream choked out a laugh, his shoulders bobbing up and down slightly.

"It sounds cool to me!" He said, eyes darting across the pile to find a pair of gloves and a hat for himself. "Plus, it'll be out in the snow! Win win!" And when Dream folded together his newly-gloved hands into a pleading manner, George couldn't help but act like he was contemplating his response even though he would want nothing more than to cut down his tree with arguably two of his favorite people.

And when George "reluctantly" agreed, Dream cheered and threw an arm around George's shoulder, parading around the room with a goofy grin in his newfound success.

<<->>

"Let go of me you oversized man-child!"

As soon as the trio had gotten through the line to pick out their own saws, go over the different types of trees and their prices, and look over the map of the farm, they were off. Dream was excitedly pulling George along, their arms hooked together.

Currently, Dream was focused on taking in everything at once. The snow—I mean sure, he knew what snow was of course, but where he lived it was all heat—the trees—they definitely didn't have Pine tree farms in Florida—and even his best friend who was being tugged behind him.

Cara trudged behind them, watching as the tall male dragged her brother along through the freshly fallen snow that coated the grass in a thin layer. They both wore broad smiles, even if George was trying to hold his own back.

"I'm offended but not necessarily saying that is an inaccurate representation of myself," Dream replied, swinging his arm back and forth trying to jostle George's along with him. The snow had stopped falling at a rapid pace and was now just a few light flakes every now and then

That didn't make it any less enjoyable for Dream.

"So Dream, have you ever cut down a tree before?" Cara asked, jogging up to walk backwards in front of them so she could see their faces. The man in question just shook his head, looking away from her and instead eyeing up the rows upon rows of trees.

"Unless you wanna count the one time my brother and I accidently broke down a flimsy tree by climbing it, nope." George stifled a laugh and rolled his eyes at the statement.

"Of course you've accidentally torn down a tree before. Why am I not surprised?"

Dream's response to this was retracting his arm in a swift motion causing George to toppled forward, almost falling over. He laughed as the brunet steadied himself and whacked him in the arm, Cara laughing and turning on her heels to face away from them.

And once her back was turned and she started leading the way again? Dream linked his arm back with George's.

<<->>

It had been an hour of painstaking search when they finally came upon the perfect tree. It was the size of Dream and had full branches, hardly a gap between the needles in sight. The trunk seemed sturdy enough and with a bit of trimming, George's tree topper would fit just swimmingly.

"Okay Dream, I'm gonna lay down. I want you on top of me. Make sure I don't get hurt, that thing looks large."

Cara snorted and Dream choked on the childish laugh that emerged from his lips. As George knelt down onto the cold ground, his only focus was how glad he was to have waterproof pants on jsut for this. So when he looked up to see two figures laughing hysterically it took him a second to realize why.

"Damn George, okay but you coulda asked me out first, geez."

"Maybe you two should start sharing a room before our parents get here!"

Dream and Cara both spoke at the same time causing the laughter to grow even more so than before. It honestly wasn't that funny, if anything a middle schooler would crack up at it. Surely not grown adults with actual lives... well, surely not most grown adults with actual lives.

"You know what I meant, asshole. Now stand in close proximity to me while also being above me because I'm just lower on the ground and hold up the tree that probably weighs a ton so it doesn't crush me. Better?"

Dream just nodded, his wheezing trickling off as he moved forward to steady the tree. Cara handed George the saw so he could get to work on knocking the great thing over.

Soon enough, George got through the last of the wood and the pine tree was lose in Dream's hands who made quick work of keeping it upright so that his friend could get back up again. Once he was steadied they each grabbed a hold of the branches and lugged it over to where a tractor would give it a tag and take it to the front of the farm.

"Well that was... an experience," George said with a grin while walking towards the large barn that indicated the entrance to the farm and thinking back to the multiple times the three of them broke out into song at random points. His favorite time was the trio version of Frosty the Snowman.

"Yeah it was-" Dream cut himself off with a gasp as he stopped dead in his tracks, head tilted to to look at the sky. Cara and George stopped as well, looking but not noticing anything out of the ordinary.

Dream didn't make any move to finish his sentence, instead sticking out his tongue and moving his head around to catch a flake. Once the motion was proven unsuccessful, he gazed back at George who was rolling his eyes.

"You look crazy," He deadpanned, craning his neck to take the same position Dream had. The man himself went back to it and after a few seconds, Cara joined in.

So naturally, for the next five minutes they pushed each other around while trying to catch the now heavily falling snow, making a competition to see who could land the most.

And when they finally resumed their walk back to pick up their tree from where it was being wrapped up? There may have been a mini snowball fight that consisted of picking up handfuls of the frozen mixture off of the ground. And maybe after Dream shoves a handful down the back of George's shirt a certain brunet Brit lunged at him and tackled him to the ground.

And maybe while that was happening, another Brit, older than the other, may have snapped a photo or two. Both beaming at the other while their light giggles filled the air, bodies pressed together in a small bank of snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I not realize that yesterday was Friday... maybe?
> 
> Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that it's already 2021 like what? I hope you all have an amazing day/night! :)
> 
> \- Razz


	8. Not Enough Skill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream gets some alone time with Xander and Riley unbeknownst to George, George and Dream have their own little skating session, and sleepy movies all ensue.

The twenty first of December was a pretty laid back day, the three temporary roommates having spent it decorating the inside of the house (everything except the tree, which they would do together when George's parents arrived). Towards the mid-afternoon, George and Cara had gone out to get groceries, leaving Dream on his own. Though he would have accompanied them, he decided that he would much rather uncover more parts of the town alone as opposed to walking around a market for an entire hour, so they reluctantly agreed and he went off on his own. He had popped in and out of a few different stores, browsing absentmindedly, admiring things from fresh baked goods to different arrays of clothing and even little handmade trinkets.

Eventually, he found himself walking up to the familiar front of George's ice rink for the third time that week. Though this time, he was alone.

Maybe it was because he was lost in thought, or maybe it was because he hadn't even stopped to consider checking the opening times plastered on the glass doors, but whatever it was he threw open the doors and walked right in the direction of the rinks. He was met with a flurry of two people chasing each other around the benches, one with something held high above their head and the other stumbling after making grabby hands.

Dream quickly pinned the two as Xander (an easy answer), and after a second of hesitation, Rylie. The abrupt realization that the _thing_ in Xander's hand was a skate and Rylie was hobbling around unbalanced with only one on made him laugh.

The two paused their actions and turned to Dream, who cringed slightly to himself but offered a smile and a friendly wave.

"What? You think because you're friends with Georgie you can let yourself in?" Xander smirked, going to cross his arms in front of his chest before eyeing Riley who would have surely taken the skate from him the second it was lowered to her level.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I interrupted your game of keep away," Dream jokes back easily, crossing his own arms as if to mock Xander. The shorter male laughed out to which Riley took as an opening to dive in, almost knocking him to the ground but successfully retaining her skate with a small cheer.

"Well, what can we do for you man? I didn't see George with you, does he know you're here?" Dream shook his head and looked to the side of the room where the drinks were, seeing the man he recognized as Davis skating alone in the practice rink.

"No he doesn't, he's out with Cara so I figured I'd swing by." Despite Dream not knowing why his feet had carried him to the rink on their own before, he did now. Not that he was going to let it out that easily, seeing that if it sounded dumb in his mind it would sound even worse out loud.

"That's it, aye? Just felt like swinging by because you missed us so well?" Dream tensed up, not noticing how he was tapping his foot at an uneven pace, and replied back with an affirmative 'Yup!'.

Alas, Xander's slowly forming grin accompanied by painstakingly subtle nodding said that he had read right through him. Sure, the sudden flip in demeanor didn't help Dream's case but still.

"Mhm, we'll go with that," Xander said back, watching as Riley went to put her previously stolen skate back on. "Any chance you would want to go out and skate with us again? Could teach you a few tricks."

Dream's face lit up and he agreed, following Xander over to acquire a pair of skates. Riley didn't miss the way he beamed, however, having followed them over to nudge his side with her elbow.

"Trying to impress someone by learning their favorite pastime?" She teased, joining Xander on the other side of the counter. Without missing a beat, Dream was quick to fire back

"Yes, of course I am. Xander, I'm learning how to skate so you like me more and we can both replace George." The trio fell into a fit of heavy laughter, before retreating back to the main rink where they spent the next two hours.

<<->>

The twenty second. What was George currently doing? It just so happened to be dragging a certain dirty blond man by the wrist out onto the empty and cool ice of a particular practice rink.

The two had managed to grab the rink at one of it's scarcely vacant moments, albeit Rayyan and Sheya who were still packing up near the lockers after finishing their own skating time when the pair had arrived.

"C'mon, we were here just a few days ago! Don't tell me you already forgot everything you learned," George spoke with a small huff, holding up half of the dramatic man's weight as Dream leaned into his side. George was met face to face with said man sticking out his tongue and stumbling about, trying to stand straight. He slipped his wrist from George's grasp only to replace it seconds later with his hand, fingers slowly intertwining with the other's in one smooth motion. George's hands were cold to the touch and burned Dream's hand, leaving a small, tingling sensation in both of their palms.

In all honesty, Dream could skate pretty decently. If the last time he and George were at the rink together wasn't helpful enough, then his secretive session with Xander and Riley sure helped a lot. Don't get him wrong, he was nowhere near George's—or _any_ of the handful of skater's who he had met—skill level and he doubted he ever would be. But that didn't mean he couldn't hold his own. He could easily skate back and forth and could even do a simple turn, as well as a few new moves he had picked up the other day, though if you asked him he would decline any knowledge of this. Certainly he wouldn't be hand in hand with George if he knew, and that would be a major loss. So Dream was perfectly content keeping it out of his friend's mind.

"We're here so you can help me!" Dream whined, following George's motions as the brunet started to move away from the wall and towards the middle of the rink.

"Why don't you ask _Xander_ for help, hmm? Since you're all buddy buddy with him now." George couldn't help but throw with a spirited grin.

Dream couldn't help but roll his eyes while returning the mischievous smile, thinking back to George's reaction when he had told him that Xander would take him back to his house and yet never explained any further. The Brit had been beyond confused and started questioning the three of them—Riley said wouldn't miss out on a chance to see George's face when Dream showed up at his door with his other best friends and no context—upon the moment Xander's finger grabbed the doorknob to let himself in.

"You know I wouldn't do that, I want to learn from the _master_ here." The wall was out of their reach by now as they skated, still hand in hand, towards the other side of the rink. There was music playing over the speakers, just a modern radio station, but it helped fill the small silence that had ensued.

"Well, what exactly did you have in mind?" George asked, starting to make slow laps around the rink, Dream's thumb gently brushing his knuckles as they glided across the frozen floor. "We should probably do a couple of laps so you can regain the ability to skate without my help."

Dream nodded, continuing to play along with his 'I don't know how to skate' act for as long as he could manage. He knew, though, that sooner or later, he would have to let go of the shorter man's hand

"Why don't you teach me some of your competition routine?" He suggested, getting a thoughtful hum in response.

"Why would you want to learn that? It's a big step up from the level you're at now."

Cringing to himself, Dream thought back to what Xander had told him the night prior. He wished, slightly, that he hadn't pretended to not remember anything, and had shown George how much he really knew. But the warm prize he had earned from doing so overpowered it in the smallest way.

"Well, would you rather teach me one of your Lady Gaga songs?" He good-naturedly chaffed. George just groaned and let go of his hand, pushing him away. While the brunet had expected him to topple over without his support, the opposite was true.

Dream started to circle him with a steady pace, flailing his arms about as if he were trying to dance.

He was not a very good dancer.

"Seems like somebody can skate after all, is that what you were doing with Xander and Rye last night?" George let out a snigger at the defeated look on Dream's face, certifying that he was correct.

"That's besides the point, now c'mon! I wanna learn how to do that- that-" Without knowing how to describe the moves he had observed in the video, Dream settled for waving his arms around, hoping George would get what he meant by the motion.

"If you're trying to dance again you aren't doing a very good job at it." George deadpanned, receiving an astonished look from Dream, sending him into a spiral of laughter.

"Fuck off, I'm an amazing dancer." When Dream got no response, he took it upon himself to skate up behind George and put his hands on his shoulders.

"What're you trying to do now?"

"I wanna do the part where Xander lifted you up," Dream wined, trying to determine how he would go about this. He wasn't left pondering for long, because George quickly spun around so that he was facing him, Dream's hands still on his shoulders.

"You are _not_ going to be trying that, not with the level you are at right now." Dream huffed.

"Why do you keep throwing my skill level in my face? I'm sure I could manage it."

"No Dream, I hardly let _Xander_ do it, and he's been skating for _years_."

"Wait..." Dream grinned, spinning around George in a circle once again, though this time George moved with him due to the hands grasping his shoulders. "You said I'm not gonna be trying it with the level I'm at now... so does that mean if I improve it you'll let me?"

George sputtered, eyeing the man in front of him. He hadn't realized how close they were until now, faces mere inches apart as they had their own little stare off right in the middle of the rink. The world seemed to spin, and it wasn't just because of the slow tempo Dream was moving him around with.

Dream surveyed his friend as they spun. _Round and round and round._ George didn't move his eyes away, despite the fact that he looked like he was about to crumble under Dream's gaze. He noticed an increasing heat radiating from the other boy, which quickly affected himself, ears painted a nice tinted pink.

"I mean... I wouldn't be opposed to trying," George finally uttered out, snapping himself back to reality with a single blink and bringing his hands up to Dream's. Carelessly, he plucked them off of his shoulders and stopped the spinning. _Well that's a relief._

"For now, you said you wanted to learn bits of the Christmas choreography, correct?" Dream grinned, spreading his arms out as if to give the air around him a giant hug.

"I'm ready to learn." And like that, whatever weird tension that had clouded the air just moments ago was gone, and they were back to their teasing selves.

"I'd like to see you try, Mr. 'I can't skate omg George, help me skate!'." George threw on a higher pitched voice to mimic Dream's, despite his voice being lower in actuality. He rolled his eyes at his friend and went to skate off on his own, wobbling only slightly.

"Whatever, catch up if you can, _Gogy_!"

"Oh, you're on!"

<<->>

"Cheesy Hallmark movies are the best and _nobody_ can change my mind!" George argued, crossing his arms over his chest next to Dream on the couch. The man next to him had the remote and was browsing through different movies, waiting for Cara to return from the kitchen with popcorn.

"But they're so predictable! Guy meets girl because of work, his friends, or a _coincidence_ , guy and girl think the other is hot but _oh no! They'll never see each other again because the moment is over and they forgot they have to go do something!_ As if by some sort of _magic_ , they happen to be at the same place, give it ten minutes or so and they're making out, then call it an end scene. Boom. Movie over." Dream spiels, waving his hand that held the remote in it frantically with one hand. George had been biting down on the inside of his cheek while trying to contain his amusement, Cara making it difficult by the way that she was standing in the doorway, amazed look plastered on her face.

"God damn, I didn't know Hallmark movies touched a soft spot in you," George surrendered, raising his hands with fingers spread above his head. He moved them seconds later to make grabby hands at the bowls of popcorn Cara was holding.

"Geez, remind me never to talk about my interests around him anymore," Cara whispered in a way that it was obvious she intended for Dream to hear. He rolled his eyes and reached over to grab George's newly obtained popcorn bowl.

"Hey!"

"Well I only see two bowls in her hand and I'm not gonna be the one left empty handed!"

"Calm down," Cara laughed out, moving to sit down on the loveseat next to the couch. "It's a large bowl because you guys are sitting next to each other and can share. If you wanna fight to the death over it go right ahead, but if anybody asks I was not a witness."

George did a one-over on Dream, before lunging forward to grab a fistful of popcorn after realizing that the American wasn't handing over the bowl anytime soon. Popping a handful that was much more in quantity than expected into his mouth, he leaned back into the cushion to watch the screen.

"So what do you suggest we watch, Mr. Movie Critic?" George asked, tugging the quilt that laid over his legs up a little further, now covering his abdomen. He was sit criss-cross, right knee grazing Dream's left side every time he bounced it in anticipation.

" _Elf_ , duh. It's only _the best_ Christmas movie of all time," Dream supplied, searching for said movie.

"Nuh uh! The best movie is _easily_ _Christmas Vacation_." Cara retorted, picking up a popcorn kernel and tossing it at the duo on the couch. It missed Dream, and hit George instead, resulting in him throwing back his own kernel.

"I think _The Santa Clause_ series is much better but pop off I guess."

"He has a point there." Cara gave an approving nod, lowering her hand that was filled with popcorn ammo.

"It's not terribly late, we can watch something else after if you want, but I already have _Elf_ pulled up so..." Dream snickered, drawing out the 'o' as the remote's cursor hovered over a giant 'Play' button on screen. Sinking further back into the couch, George looked over to his sister who just shrugged.

"Fine, play it."

"Lets goo!" Dream cried out in victory, pressing play and setting the remote down on the side tale beside him. He pulled at his own fuzzy blanket that had been provided for him, and tried to get comfortable. It was a large couch, but it proved difficult to stretch out when the man next to him was right at his side.

It was only about twenty minutes in that Dream said _screw it_ , and repositioned his legs so that they were hung over the couches armrest, leaning down to rest his head in George's lap. The Brit stared down at him, raising an eyebrow.

"What're you doing?" Dream smiled, shifting so that he could face the television.

"Getting comfy, what're you doing?"

"Being used as a human pillow, currently." Dream let off a soft laugh, moving to look at Cara and determine whether or not they were disturbing her. Rather than looking annoyed, she was fixated on the tv and biting her lip as if trying to conceal a smile that was threatening to paint over her face.

Deciding the position was not as comfortable as anticipated, Dream sat back up again, this time resting his head on George's shoulder. He could feel the brunet tense up under his weight, and he frowned to himself. Right as he was about to lift his head, Dream detected a hand moving to his waist, pulling him closer ever so slightly.

Dream look up to be met with a soft smile, though George's eyes didn't leave the movie playing on the screen. Content, and quite honestly a little bit flustered, Dream picked his head up from George's shoulder to replace it with his own arm. In a slow motion, he brought George closer, more confidently than the smaller man had before. Taking the hint, George laid his head on Dream's shoulder while Dream laid his on top of fluffy brown hair. They didn't say a word, just sat their in each other's embrace.

They didn't watch another movie that night because they fell asleep in that position, together, on George's living room couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How we feeling with this one? I don't know if I like how the beginning was a recap of the day prior, but when I wrote it as a flashback Dream had when out on the ice with George, it was wayyyyy too long. This is the only time I'll combine two days into one chapter like this, though. I changed the little time skip/section separated too because the other one was annoying LOL
> 
> ALSO, I have another Dreamnotfound fic on here and (whoops, self promotion go brr) it would be cool if you wanted to check it out. Basically George is bound to the truth and portrays a different motion each day while visiting with Sap and Dream if you're interested.
> 
> Hope you have a great rest of your day/night! :))
> 
> \- Razz


	9. Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baking cookies, a fun holiday tradition! What could go wrong? :)

"I don't trust either of you, what's with those faces?" George asked, walking through his front door after having been sent out for a " _very_ important shopping trip". His eyes rested on Dream's chest, where a large snowman shaped piece of fabric laid, then towards Cara's who had her own red and green striped one. "And why are you guys wearing aprons...?"

Cara grabbed her younger brother by the arm, yanking him into the house. She paid no mind to the bags in his hands despite knowing that one of them contained a container of eggs. She _had_ been the one who forced him out on his shopping trip to begin with, after all.

"Quit being clueless, it's the twenty third! Christmas eve is tomorrow and we _still_ haven't baked anything _at all_." She dropped his arm only to swoop down and take the bags from his grasp. With a nod from Cara towards Dream, George felt a pair of steady hands wrap around him from behind, working their way across his chest and slipping an apron that looked like a reindeer over his head. George froze at the touch, not even daring to do so much as _breathe_ , until Dream's hands left his torso and he was out of George's personal bubble.

"There are certain things you have to do during the holiday season, and baking cookies is just a _given_." Cara switched on her phone, connecting it to a Bluetooth speaker as she continued. "We have a tree, lights are strung outside, we've watched movies—or rather, a movie, because _some_ people decided it would be nice to just fall asleep all cuddled up together after the first one." George smacked his sister in the arm, sending a glare that couldn't be mistaken for anything other than ' _Shut the fuck up_ '.

Cara playfully stuck her tongue out, fingers swiping across the cool phone screen in her hand. After connecting to a radio station that was playing Christmas music, she continued.

"I had you go out and get the basics like eggs, milk, flour, while Dream and I looked through some of our old recipe books!"

"And Google!"

"And Google... mainly Google because these books are useless," Cara added, with a chuckle, nodding at Dream's input. "We found chocolate chip, sugar, peanut butter, snickerdoodle, you name it!"

George just looked down at his chest where the dark brown apron now hung from his neck and clasped around his abdomen. After inspecting the fabric while waiting to determine whether or not Cara was finished or not, he decided she was, and looked back up to start speaking for himself.

"You're the only person I know that can make a speech out of wanting to bake cookies, oh my _God_." A light wheeze sounded from George's side and he smiled at the sight of his friend's amusement. When he laughed his whole face was akin to something light and goofy. His eyes squinted and the creases crinkled, leaving loveable lines beside them. George wished he could reach out and touch them, maybe be able to hold his face for just a second, but that would be weird. And besides, they were here to bake cookies, not have odd and unrequited fantasies about how God damn good looking his friend managed to be even while doubling over with contagious laughter.

"Well? What are we starting with?" George asked as he watched Cara start going through his shopping bags. Placing various items on the counter, she went to respond with a shrug.

"It depends, usually I would say sugar first because decorating is the most-" Cara paused both her movements and her words, the bags empty. "George, do you have another bag somewhere?"

"No...?"

"Shit!" She groaned, scanning over everything she had placed on the counter as if to will whatever she was looking for here. "We don't have any chocolate chips."

To Clay, this didn't seem like a big deal. So what if they didn't make a specific kind of cookie? He was still thrilled to be sharing this moment with the two siblings as is.

And George would agree about it not being a big deal, but he knew his sister. And to Cara, everything had to be just right. _Especially_ during the holiday seasons. Which is why, with a controlled sigh, he leaned forward to gently shove her shoulder.

"You go get them, and whatever else you may need that isn't here. Dream and I will start making the sugar cookie dough since it needs to sit in the fridge for a few hours while you're gone."

So this is what they did.

Cara scrambled to exit the house, pulling on her coat and shoving her hair into a black hat, all while promising to be back as soon as she could. George and Dream just laughed as the door was shut closed, being left unlocked for the time being.

"So... sugar cookies?" The two shared an equally puckish grin, before diving into the prepping process.

"Where is your flour?" Dream asked, throwing cupboard after cupboard open as if he had lived there his whole life. George was in the process of scanning over the ingredients list that had been pulled up on Dream's phone, hardly looking up.

"Fridge."

Dream stopped, pulled a face, then started laughing.

"Why the hell do you have flour in the _fridge_?" George glanced up with a perplexed look.

"Because if we didn't keep it in the fridge it would go bad quicker?" He said it as though it was common knowledge, and that's because it quite honestly was. _Dream clearly wasn't one for kitchen activities._

Dream went to rummage around in the fridge, taking out things like milk and butter, as well as the flour that was stored at the very back.

Soon enough, they had bowls set out, a stand mixer ready to go, and their needed ingredients covering the previously-empty counter.

Cara had taken her phone with her when going out, so Dream synced his own up to the speaker, claiming that he had the perfect music on hand.

If George were to be honest, though, he would say that whatever playlist Dream had pulled up only provided a small white noise. It was hardly noticeable over the easy chatter and uplifting laughter that the small kitchen was filled to the brim with.

Dream was currently stirring the wet ingredients by hand, trying to "prove" how capable of a chef he could be if he tried. It was like he ignored the fact that professionals use the cooking equipment on hand, and insisted that the best of the best did it manually. Though George wasn't complaining.

Until, after going a tad bit too fast, Dream's wrist flicked up at just the wrong time, and a quarter-sized glob of batter shot up and out of the bowl. It landed square on George's right eyelid.

He let out a squeak, moving to wipe it off with his thumb, holding an even glare with the dirty blond—or at least, as fierce of a glare as he could muster with only one eye being opened.

Dream recognized the look, and slowly set the bowl down in front of him.

"George... you don't wanna do this " he warned, bringing his hands up as if to surrender. George hummed, placing a finger to his chin and idly tapping, both eyes now opened.

"No."

In one prolonged, seemingly very relaxed motion, George reached across the countertop to the still-open bag of flour. Never breaking eye contact with Dream, he grabbed a handful and brought it up to his mouth, blowing it all across the Floridian's face who had just stood there letting it happen.

George broke out in heavy laughter, bending over and placing one hand on his knee as Dream spluttered about, blowing the white powder from his mouth and rubbing it away from his eyes.

"Why would you just _stand_ there? You knew what was coming!" George pointed out, removing his hand and standing up so he could fully take in the dirty blond's dusted appearance.

And like that, much quicker than George had moved, Dream was grabbing at the flour and tossing it into George's hair. The brunet gasped and took a step back, watching as his movement caused the powder to float around him like he were in a cloud.

"You asshole." And George was reaching for the flour again.

To say that this went on for a while would be an understatement, because they both quickly realized that they shouldn't use up all of the flour and they still needed to finish up the main batter. But after about ten minutes, when they had the bowl covered in plastic wrap and chilling in the fridge?

Dream picked up the plastic spoon he had used second ago for taste testing, and flung it at the Brit, causing what was left on it to stick to his left cheek, right above his mouth. George gasped, reaching a finger into the bowl that previously held the batter, and scooped out a glob to reach over and smear across Dream's forehead.

Before George had a chance to say something stupid (that "something stupid" being _Simba!_ ) Dream was fighting back again.

The two had batter caked across their face and aprons painted a solid white color. George had been about to reach for the flour bag again, before he stopped in order to fully take in Dream's presence.

Dream did the same, both standing there, staring. And then they laughed.

Infectious, loud, bubbly laughter, accompanied by reaching out and pointing at the other's messy face. George shook his head lightly, still beaming, as he turned to grab some towels to clean up not only each other, but the floor and tabletops as well.

"You're so messy," he said, tearing off a paper towel from the roller to hand to Dream, who giggled in response.

" _I'm_ messy? You're the one who started this!" They both started whipping off their faces.

" _Me?_ You flung the batter at me first!" Dream had successfully cleaned his face—or really, just as successfully as you can when only using a napkin—and took a subtle step closer to George.

"C'mon, it was an _accident_ and you know it." Another step, and George put down his paper towel, not noticing the closing distance between the two.

"Well, accident or not you-" he stopped as Dream took another step, now less than a foot away from him. "What are you doing _now?_ "

Dream brought his hand up to George's cheek, fingers lightly dancing across the skin as he lifted his thumb up to his lip. George's legs felt like they suddenly couldn't hold up his weight anymore while his heart beat picked up so much, he was sure anyone within a mile radius could hear it go.

"You're such a mess, George." Was all Dream said, coming out in a low whisper, as he wiped off a large portion of mix that he had flung at him earlier.

George didn't process anything, he _couldn't_ process anything. He didn't feel the batter being wiped away. What he _did_ notice, was how Dream brought his own finger up to his mouth and licked it clean of the batter that previously resided on George's cheek.

The hand moved to return its position on George's face.

And it was too much, too fast. As much as he would regret it earlier, he coughed out awkwardly and raised a hand to Dream's chest, pushing him away.

Dream's eyes were painted over with _something_ , something that switched all to quickly from the playfully mischievous look they held earlier. He just stood there, blinking the look away, as George stumbled out of the room with his phone in hand.

"I should call Xander, he told me to and I can't forget. Cara should be back soon I- I'll be back later."

Dream watched as George left the room while dialing a number, then came back with his skating bag and a winter jacket.

Dream stood still as George slipped out of the unlocked door, leaving him to stand alone in the messy kitchen.

And Dream felt.

<<<->>>

George was pacing.

His skates were on, black gloves covering all but the tips of his fingers, which poked out of the purposeful holes, and his jacket fit his figure.

The sound of his feet clanking against the ground rang out. He bit his tongue as he awaited his friend's arrival.

Today, there had been a small group of teenagers in the practice rink, as well as a few of their guardians sitting around the tables near concessions.

Davis—who was already there when George arrived, yet currently out grabbing something from his car—was the only other person at the rink.

With a groan, George pulled out his phone, readying himself to call up Xander again, when he heard the door being thrown open. Upon looking up, he saw Xander walk in with David on his heels.

"What happened?" Was Xander's first words, as he scurried up to the brunet. If there was one thing about Xander, it would be that he isn't just there for the jokes and messing around, but that he was there for his friends.

"I-" George paused, bringing his lip between his teeth and biting down, an old nervous habit that he picked up on when he was younger. "He's not making it easy."

And Xander understood immediately, striding over to him and wrapping his arms around George's neck. Davis stood there, smiling, some sort of packet in his hands.

"What happened?"

"He- we?" George sighed, stepping back from the embrace and shooting an off-centered smile. "He almost... yeah?"

Xander couldn't help but grin, knowing that George was trying to ease the tension in the air a bit. That was something Xander was good at.

"What did he do?" Xander gasped, wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. "Did you finally get lai-" George's eyes went wide and he waved his hands, smacking Xander's shoulder lightly.

"No! No, you idiot. He just got... close? Like really close and I don't know...." Xander covered his mouth with his hand and turned around to Davis, giggling like a schoolgirl.

"So he was going to _kiss_ you?" Hearing it out loud brought George back, and he tensed up again.

"What? No, I- I don't know?" He huffed, dragging one hand down his face, before resting his uncertain gaze back on his friends. "You know what happened before, and now he's not just some... some disembodied voice, so it's been a lot harder than it was before."

"Oh has it?- Oh! Davis, what was that for?"

Davis chuckled, whacking Xander in his back as to shut him up. With a sigh, he turned to George, offering a kind smile.

"George, you know him better than either of us do. Whatever happened, happened. You need to figure out what you want and how you will act on it, and we'll be here to help."

"But that's the thing!" George was exasperated, resuming his pacing to a smaller degree. "I _thought_ I knew what I wanted before, but now he's _real._ "

"Well Georgie, we will be here to help you figure that out. In the meantime, we should probably get to practicing. There's a week until the whole sha-bang!"

George nodded, standing still once again and exhaling the breathe that was forcefully held in up until now.

"Really though, are you alright now, George?" Davis asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. George smiled at his two friends and gave an affirmative nod.

"Better, thank you." George stood by as Davis and Xander got their skates on, stretching out his legs.

"So what _were_ you guys doing that provoked all this anyway?" Xander asked, hoping up front a bench after tying both of his skates.

"Well, we were baking and Cara went out to get something and-" George gasped, bringing a hand up to his forehead. "Oh God, we made a complete mess of the kitchen and I left him there, alone, to deal with it!"

Xander and Davis broke out into laughter, the former linking his arm with George's and spinning in a circle.

"Georgie got so flustered he left Dreamie poo with all of the hard labor!"

"To be fair, he kind of deserved it." George rolled his eyes, giggling at his friends. If anyone could make him feel more himself, he knew it would be them.

Davis stood up, skates secured, before gasping and reaching down onto the floor to pick up the packet he had retrieved from his car earlier.

"I almost forgot..." he said, handing it over to Xander with a mischievous smirk. Xander unattached himself from George and grabbed it, eyes widening at the cover.

"Oh yes!" He cheered, showing one of the pages off to George, who only groaned and sank down to the floor.

"Oh no."

So George's mini therapy session turned into browsing for the sparkliest (upon Xander's request), yet most subtle (George's request) outfits they could find, fantasizing about how they would look a week from now, on the ice, completely decked out for all to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna lie, I'm a pretty critical person and I don't know how to feel with this story. I do better with AUs, not these real life based ones where they're still YouTubers, so I tend to work on those and leave my actually published stories off until the last minute LOL If, hypothetically, I were to have a handful of DNF AUs and wanted to publish them, any specific type you would want?
> 
> The people over on Wattpad made it clear that nobody knew keeping flour in the fridge would help increase how ✨fresh✨ it is.. do people really not do that? Is everyone I know just weird or smart or both? LMAO
> 
> Hope you all are doing well! :)
> 
> \- Razz


	10. Ornaments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas Eve which means that George's parents are arriving today! Fluff who?

Needless to say, when George came back home over an hour later he was met with a pissed off Cara and an awkward Dream.

The second he walked through his front door, hoping he could manage slipping into his room discreetly and somehow acting like he had been there the whole time, he felt something hard smack the back of his head. With a stifled yelp and an abrupt turn, George stood face to face with Cara.

A swift look to her right hand which was still raised up by her shoulder, and George could see the offender, a plastic spatula. The brunet groaned and reached out to smack his sister back, but she pulled away and crossed her arms across her chest. George knew where this was going.

“Why the hell did you leave Dream here alone while I was out? You know you can’t slip away that easily!” _Oh yeah, Dream_. In all honesty, George had decided to forget about what had previously happened between them—whatever that may be. Dream, however, by the looks of his crooked smile and off-centered posture, did not.

“I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t mean to be gone for that long I just-” He looked at Dream again, this time catching his golden eyes. “I’m sorry.” George sighed, facing the oldest in the room and lightly pushing her shoulder. “I’ll make it up to you, alright? Don’t say you frosted without me.”

Cara perked up, rolling her eyes and moving to smack George with the cooking utensil again. The younger raised his hand, blocking the blow at the last second, and laughed. It was light and forgiving, and the others couldn’t help but join in, one more hesitant than the other.

While they didn't meet _all_ of Cara’s baking criteria's, they managed to cross off most of the key parts from her mental checklist. As the night went on, the tense atmosphere dwindled down, and eased into a more carefree one. The music had resumed and following it came wooden spoons being used as microphones, aprons mimicking a skirt as they would courtesy after each of their “performances”, and phones being whipped out to take videos, footage shaky from how much they were laughing.

The day might have had a rocky start, but it was as if there was a mutual agreement to just _not_ mention anything that happened before George made his abrupt exit. The night proved to be much more enjoyable.

And so, at quarter past midnight, when Dream turned on his phone, squinting at the bright light for a few seconds before gasping and sitting up from his spot on the living room floor, the realization set in.

“It’s Christmas Eve!”

And as if by some sort of sibling-level-telepathy, both George and Cara shot up at the same time, yelling in sync,

“Mum and Dad are coming over today!”

<<<->>>

Dream was practically jumping up and down in anticipation of George’s parents coming over. There was just half an hour. They would be here in half an hour.

It was two o’clock at night, and the infamous trio was sitting together on the couch, going through the boxes worth of ornaments that had accumulated in the depths of George’s closets over the years. Dream didn’t notice his leg was bouncing until he felt a warmth press against his knee. His eyes whipped downward and away from the glass candy cane he was previously observing in his grasp, and instead locked on the hand that was pressed against his skin. He took note of how it was slowly, and ever so softly rubbing reassuring circles into the pant fabric.

“Calm down, Dream. You’re acting as if the Queen is going to be coming through my front door soon, not my parents.” George’s voice was calm, yet it held its own form of giddiness, just suppressed a little better than Dream’s. The dirty blond man laughed and rolled his eyes, stopping the bobbing of his limb.

“Please, you know if you got the Queen to come over for Christmas Tommy would be the one flown down here, not me,” Dream joked back easily, thankful for the distraction. To be quite honest, he had no clue why he was acting the way he was. He had met Sapnap’s parents before, and that wasn’t a problem. It had just seemed natural, so this should as well, right?

Surely he was just overthinking it, seeing the fact that he had known Sapnap for much longer. The fact that he was also in a completely different country had to do with it as well. But deep down, Dream knew that wasn’t _entirely_ the reason as to why he was so skittish.

They continued rummaging through the boxes, trying to sort out lights from regular decorations to the tree topper, and Dream was hyper aware of George’s hand which had never left its place on his thigh. Cara seemed to take notice as well, offering an embracing smile to the Floridian.

“Oh!” George exclaimed, box of tinsel in his free hand. “We should string popcorn while we wait for them to arrive!” Cara clapped her hands together once, before standing up. Without even looking to Dream for his input—not that it really _mattered_ , I mean, it was their tree and either way he was all for the idea—she made her way towards the kitchen.

“I’ll start up a batch and find the string, you guys stay there and continue sorting,” Cara called from a room away, the sounds of her opening and closing the cupboards ringing out through the hall.

Dream wasn’t complaining, simply relishing in the feeling of George being pressed up against his side, boxes of memorable items laid out in front of them. Dream snickered, leaning down and moving aside a piece of newspaper that was wedged between the different decorations in the boxes. Something had caught his eye, and judging by the way George moved his hand to lunge forward and grab it before Dream could, he knew it would be good.

The Brit turned to the side with a grin, trying to ignore the way his friend poked his side lightly. In Dream’s hand was an ornament shaped like an ice skate. In the very center there was a carved out portion which held a place to insert your own picture. At the very bottom there was a date, and written in sharpie marker on the back it read “George’s first performance!!”

“This you?” George laughed out, shaking his head, and trying to take the old relic out of the American’s grasp. Dream allowed this, and leaned over George’s shoulder to examine it further.

“I was ten,” the brunet laughed out, absentmindedly rubbing the ribbon tied to the top in between his index finger and thumb. The picture captured young George smiling at the camera, a small plastic medal looped around his neck. He wore an all black outfit with purple accents that seemed to have once shined in the light.

“You’ve been skating for that long?” George just let out a hum, not making any move to try and answer his question. Yet before he could go back to scouring the boxes, the sound of a doorbell rang out through the house. Dream glanced at his phone, turning it on to read the time, before looking back to his friend.

“They’re early.”

“I can see that.” George sighed and stood up, hurrying over to the front door. Dream, not knowing whether or not to follow him, simply stood up from the couch and stayed in the living room. “Cara, get over here!”

The two siblings scurried to the entryway, and Dream could hear the sounds of a door being opened, and words being exchanged. A chorus of “Merry Christmas Eve!”’s and “How are you? I missed you!”’s rang out. Shifting on his feet and focusing on the wall to his side, Dream contemplated whether or not he should stay put or join them. His thinking didn’t last long because a hand was being wrapped around his inner arm, and he was being dragged to the front hall.

George grinned up at him, stopping in front of two new people who were unfamiliar to Dream. One was a shorter lady, smaller than George, with curly brown hair that was kept at shoulder length. A pair of slim, silver glasses rested on the bridge of her nose, matching the white sweater she wore. The man was taller than George, but still slightly shorter than Dream—probably around six foot. He had the same dark hair his friend possessed, and upon closer inspection, amber brown eyes. It seemed that George took after his father the most in looks, but certainly not height.

“And you must be Dream!” George’s mother greeted the American with open arms, gesturing back and forth between her son and the man in question he was still latched onto. With a nod, he gave her a friendly smile.

“That would be me! It’s nice to finally meet you guys!” Dream stuck out his free arm, George’s hands having moved from his elbow’s crease to rest on his shoulder, and shook his parent’s hands. After going through introductions—George’s mother insisting to drop formalities and for Dream to call her Nora, and call her husband Charles, and Dream, in turn, assuring them that he did not mind being referred to as Clay or Dream, and that they could use either or—they made their way to the living room.

Cara made sure to bring in the freshly made batch of popcorn and needles used for stringing the kernels. George’s mother walked over to examine their tree, remarking on how nice of a color it was. Dream and George sat back on the couch together, conversing with George’s father about how YouTube had been going for them. It made Dream feel all warm inside, the welcoming family atmosphere that the group put out.

He smiled at the brunet who sat with his feet tucked up underneath him, arms crossed over top and slightly leaning into his side. The reaction he got in turn was a radiant smile that seemed to glow with the newfound energy in the room, as well as a shoulder bump.

“How long will you be staying here, Dream?” Charles asked, sitting down on the loveseat across from them that Cara would usually take. Cara turned around, looking at him expectantly. In all honesty? Dream didn’t really know the answer to that, he and Cara had just planned for some time after they brought in the New Year. So he just shrugged.

“In a week or so?” He moved to send a pointed smirk at George. “Wouldn’t want to miss George’s performance, so I can’t leave _too_ soon!” The mentioned Brit smacked his arm, falling farther back into the couch. George’s mom perked up, holding her hands together in front of her torso.

“You’re going back? I thought you were done with large scale presentations. Will there be a judging factor?” George sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, biting slightly at the skin.

“Xander dragged me into it and… I thought it would be nice to skate semi professionally again.” He poked Dream in the ribs. “Especially with Dream here. If I place high I’ll finally have something to brag about.” George’s mom chuckled, moving to sit with her husband. Cara took the other half of the couch, tossing her legs over George’s lap who tried pushing them off unsuccessfully.

The night carried on with the same light ambience the whole house seemed to flourish in. They decided upon eating dinner before decorating the tree, Cara and Nora taking the kitchen and Charles setting the table. The remaining two took the time to clear out all of Dream’s belongings from the guest room and move them to George’s where they would be sharing for the rest of his visit.

After changing the bedsheets of the spare room and lugging Dream’s giant suitcase into George’s, they made a move on bringing his parent’s luggage upstairs as well. When all was said and done, Dream flopped onto George’s bed face first, head smushed into one of the many throw pillows scattered around.

“Dream what’re you doing? The food’ll be done soon,” George exhaled, laughing shakily. The only response he got at first was a groan, and he had to shake Dream’s shoulder for a good amount of time before getting a verbal one.

“My bed now. Sleep on the floor or some shit.” Letting out a groan of his own, George smacked Dream on the back of his head causing him to sit up and glare at the Brit. He just smirked, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to his friend.

“I don’t think that’s how it works, Dream. It’s a half and half deal, and the left side is mine.”

Dream rolled over so that he was now laying on his back. On the left side of the bed.

“Whoever gets it gets it, and _I’m_ the one who will get it.” With that, George leaned over so that half of him was on top of Dream. Apparently pushing a six foot three man off of a bed wasn’t the easiest task, because he was struggling a lot. After trying multiple different attempts at getting the wheezing dirty blond to move, George let out a huff and flopped down on the bed. This left his head on Dream’s chest, and he wasn’t making any move to shift his positioning, _especially_ with the hand that had somehow made its way up to George’s head, petting through his hair slowly.

That is, until a small chuckle could be heard from the doorframe.

George whipped his head up, Dream’s hand falling off of him and landing on his stomach. Cara stood there, staring at them, and pocketing her phone.

“My collection is growing every day.” With a pointed glare, George stood up from the bed, walking over to his sister who stuck her tongue out at him. “Before you try to do anything, dinner is ready. Unless you want me to tell Mum you’d rather stay up here with your boyfri-”

“Don’t finish that.” Cara rolled her eyes and poked her head around George’s shoulder, smirking at Dream who was now off of the bed as well. “Don’t pull that face, either!” With an exasperated sigh, George shoved his sister out of the side and turned to wave Dream on. Cara just shrugged and left the room muttering,

“Give it time.”

<<<->>>

“That was lovely!” Dream complimented, standing up to take his plate over to the sink. After an hour of eating the prepared chicken and side dishes and talking, the group had finally decided it was time to start with the Christmas festivities.

“Oh why thank you!” Nora said, beaming. George stood up from the table as well, helping Dream gather the dishes.

Charles assured the boys that they could leave the dishes and get to them later on, so the family made their way back into the living room. Cara was quick to hook up her phone to the same speaker as the day prior, turning holiday music on for all to hear.

Because of the sorting from earlier, there wasn’t really anything to do but hang up the decorations. While Cara and Nora strung popcorn, George helped his dad rap multicolored lights around the pine tree. Dream sat back, unsure of what to do while he watched the others talk amongst themselves. Naturally, George took note of this, leaving his father tending to the lights alone in order to take his friends' side next to the couch.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re bored already,” George spoke with a frown, locking his eyes with his pair of golden ones. Dream just gave him a comforting smile and shook his head, picking at the skin under his nail with one hand in a fidgety manner.

“No, I’m not, don’t worry. I just don’t know what to do honestly. I don’t want to intervene with whatever your family is up to - you _clearly_ have a method to your madness here,” Dream joked easily, and George could hear the sincerity in his voice. He scoffed and broke eye contact, walking over to one of the piles of ornaments.

“Nonsense! You’re here for a reason, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Dream smiled at the brunet, following him over to crouch besides the different organized totes. “Why don’t you put the first ornament on the tree?” George suggested, looking through his different choices for one that would suit his best friend.

Dream just shook his head, picking up a large blue bulb with a year scribbled on the side and admiring it.

“I’ll just let you guys put up the sentimental junk and throw tinsel all around to finish it up! It’s fine, George.” He made eye contact once again. “I’m just happy to be here.”

George was not having any of it. He set down the angel decoration that was in his hands and left the room, calling over his shoulder to give him a minute. Dream watched perplexed, but just went back to looking around at the different relics.

He gazed back up when George reentered the room, hands behind his back. Dream didn’t miss the way he was biting at the insides of his cheeks as if to contain a smile. He stood, meeting George halfway, by the large open area that connected the living room to the kitchen.

“What’s behind your back…?” Dream asked, grinning at his friend who let out a small giggle.

“I was _gonna_ wait until tomorrow to give you this but… but I think it would make more sense to do it now.” Dream raised an eyebrow as George pulled his hands from behind his back, presenting a small wrapped box.

“George?” The box was pushed forward farther when Dream didn’t take it, and after quirking his head to the side, he noticed the rest of George’s family had stopped to watch whatever _this_ was unfold.

“Just open it already.”

Without any more hesitation, Dream grabbed the box and started unwrapping the ribbon that held it all together. He tossed it off to the side in order to get to work on the red and green paper surrounding it. When he was met with only a black box, he looked back up to George who had on a dazzling smile.

Dream gasped when he removed the top, picking up the fragile piece of art that laid inside. It was an ornament which looked to be made of glass. Though, it was far from just another decoration to half-mindedly place on the tree. No, this was a custom order. One made to look like Dream’s little blob logo he used for everything.

When he looked up from the gift to George, he noticed the brunet holding something of his own that he had retrieved from his jeans pocket. It was a matching ornament, except his was in the shape of the iconic pair of clout goggles he was known for. Dream’s smile was ear-splitting as he wrapped George up in a hug.

“I love it,” he whispered in his ear, holding him close. George just squeezed him tighter, letting his chin rest on his shoulder. The two stayed like that for a while before breaking apart, Dream nodding at the tree.

“I’m glad,” George whispered back as Dream surveyed the branches for the perfect place to hang it. Choosing the highest limb he could, Dream hung his newest possession up, relishing in the way George groaned at his side. “We have to put them next to each other! Why’d you have to put it so high?”

Dream just let out a wheeze, taking down the ornament that seemed to smile back at him with no reluctance. Together, they placed their newest additions on the tree. Lime green ribbon wrapping around an even greener twig, right next to where a light blue one did the same.

“Well isn’t that just adorable,” Nora cooed, smiling tenderly at the boys. George just rolled his eyes, going to move away from Dream only to be stopped with the sound of a gasp.

Dream, having finally let all of the sound around him fade back into normality and not just white noise, recognized the song that was on. And with the way things were going, he just couldn’t help himself from smiling mischievously at George and taking his hand.

“What the hell are you doing now?” George whined as Dream brought the two back to where they had been standing in the opening moments before.

“Dance with me, Georgie!” Was all he said, trying to work on getting George to twirl with just the movement of his hand. Cara choked on her laughter, moving to pull out her phone (no surprise there) as George just sighed.

“And what if I say no?” Dream just hummed, shrugging his shoulders and pulling George closer.

“C’mon, George. You know you want to dance with me.”

“No, not really actually.”

“I’m sure that answer would be different if you didn’t know it was me who was asking. Kind of like that day at the rink…?” Dream wiggled his eyebrows, laughing as George’s eyes widened.

“Fuck off, that’s different you can’t-” He sighed, shaking his head. “Besides, I can’t dance. Skating and dancing are two different things.” Dream pursed his lips, spinning around in a circle, George following him along.

“Hmm, I could’ve sworn that you’re dancing right now. I must be seeing things, huh?” George rolled his eyes with a sigh. Dream took that as a granting of permission, lightly grabbing him by the hips to bring him closer. Leaving one hand on his side, he used the other to guide George’s other hand up to his shoulder.

“Dream.…” George warned despite making no move to stop the dirty blond from progressing. Dream just settled for singing along to where the lyrics were in the song.

“Beautiful what’s your hurry?” He spun them around again, this time moving much easier now that George wasn’t struggling.

“You’re an idiot.”

“Listen to the fireplace roar.” George kept swaying along as he was guided across the floor.

“Beautiful please don’t hurry.” Was that tint of red on George’s face there before, or was he imagining it?

Dream led George down into a messy dip, the latter letting out a yelp of shock, before succumbing to laughter. Dream grinned, his chest fluttering, as he brought George up once again.

“The neighbors might think.” Dream rose his eyebrows, his heartbeat quickening at George’s sudden addition. It wasn’t like his normal singing that was strained and meant to sound goofy for the entertainment of others. In that one line, that singular line that he had uttered, Dream could hear how heartfelt it was. How _real_ it was.

Was the red tint on his own face there before as well?

“Baby it’s bad out there.”

They continued their performance, faces close and smiles wide. It may have consisted of multiple stumbles, accidental stepping on each other’s feet, and knocking into the items that cluttered the floor, but to them it was perfect.

And when detached himself from George, making the smaller male spin around in a circle on his own, Dream knew he was absolutely done for.

Pulling George back into his embrace, his hands on his hips and George’s on his shoulders, one lightly messing up a few loose strands of hair, they finished the songs together.

“Baby it’s cold outside!”

Their movements stopped, but they didn’t break the touch. Instead, they stayed in each other's arms for a little longer than necessary, taking in the equally smitten look they both held in their eyes yet not being able to place what it was.

And then George started laughing, Dream following suit as they finally left the other’s connection.

Cara didn’t get to make some smart remark this time, because Nora had silenced her with a look that spoke many words. She shared a glance with her husband, followed by a content smile, as the two boys gazed at each other. What a Christmas it would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl I spent way too long trying to name George's parents because every time I would be like "Oh... maybe Will would be a good name!" I would remember that it's a ccs name and have to rethink LOL
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Honestly this book has just become holiday fluff and ice skating,, not that I'm complaining.
> 
> \- Razz


	11. Sweaters

If there was one thing Dream had underestimated over the years of knowing George, it would be how clingy he is. He had always assumed that George wasn't one for physical contact—which in a way he was right—but having a strictly virtual relationship up until about a week ago made Dream realize how deceiving online connections can be from how the person acts in real life.

_Prime example with the whole ice skating thing._

He noticed two things on that December morning, the first being rays of the annoyingly bright sun which peeked through the blinds, casting a fluorescent light across the gray walls. The beams danced across the room and almost pointedly decided to rest on Dream's face, bringing him out of his peaceful slumber.

On a normal day, he would have flipped over to press his face against his pillow, hiding away from the sun and deeming it too early. This would currently be the case if he could actually flip over.

The pair of strong yet dainty arms that were wrapped around him—one kept loosely around his neck and the other draped over his waist—was the second thing he noticed. A ruffle of messy hickory brown curls rested on the base of his neck, and Dream could feel the way the giant koala-like-man would let out steady breaths on his collarbone.

He noticed how he, too, was curled up with the other. Both of Dream's arms were brought around George's back, keeping him in place. Their legs were locked together, the little-to-no space between their bodies radiating a great warmth only they had the privilege of feeling. All Dream wanted to do was bask in the heated feeling; to fall back asleep with George all enveloped in his embrace like he was his blanket.

He was about to go through with that pleasant sounding choice, but alas, he was reminded of what day it was when he picked up the faint sounds of laughter coming from downstairs.

"George, it's Christmas!" The dirty blond left out a sudden loud gasp, his eyes shooting open fully. His companion jerked in his arms, producing a groan as he pushed his face closer to Dream, lips brushing his bare skin.

"So? Wanna sleep..." George's words were slurred together due to having just been (very rudely, he would like to make clear) woken up. Dream couldn't help but chuckle at the way George curled back into himself, trying to keep the former cuddled up with him under the layers of blankets like a sleepy bear. He found himself being rather fond of the way George's eyelids fluttered shut, small creases forming around them as he tried to squeeze them shut; how George had slipped one of his legs in between both of Dream's, capturing the right one and linking them together.

Dream found George's scrunched up nose and smile crooked from sleep cute; he found George in _general_ cute, though to what that implied he was unsure—or maybe just _frightened_ of.

"You have to get up, your family is already downstairs and by the looks of the light pouring in, I would say it's probably around ten thirty." Dream pulled the comforter that was tucked over them down to their hips, trying to make a move to get out of the bed. The lack of warmth just made George want to move closer, but after unlocking and retrieving his leg, Dream was able to change his position and swing them off of the mattress.

He unwrapped his arms from around George, a burning sensation erupting in his cheeks when the brunet let out a soft whine in protest. After about a minute longer, Dream was freed from his friend, no longer forced to be a human pillow for any longer. _Though would he really mind laying there a little while longer? No, of course not, he_ wanted _to, but now wasn't the time_.

As Dream walked over to one of the room's dressers where he had kept his phone overnight, George just threw the blankets back over his head and sighed. It was clear that he had no intention of getting up anytime soon.

"George," Dream drawed out, clicking on his phone and reading off the time. "It's nearly eleven and your family is downstairs. They're probably waiting for us!"

George poked a hand out front under the covers to make a shooing motion towards Dream, as if to wave him off.

"You can go mingle, _I'm_ going to sleep for another hour or so." George could be so goddamn stubborn sometimes.

Now, Dream _could_ have just shrugged and gone downstairs, waiting for his Sleeping Beauty of a friend to make his grand entrance. He had formed a quick yet real bond with Cara, and knew of how welcoming George's parents were.

He could have just waited in the bedroom, scrolling through Twitter or messaging Sapnap over Discord. Heck, he could have joined a vc with him if he wanted to. If the talking wouldn't have gotten George up then surely Sapnap's pestering to talk to him would.

He could have thrown the covers off again, letting the light hit George's eyes as uncomfortably as it did to him that morning. Without Dream there as a blocker, it would shine directly on him.

There were many things he could have done in that situation, but for some reason he acted before he thought, letting the hastily brought up solution guide his actions fluently.

George let out a yelp as a body leaned over the bed, one knee kept on the side, the other standing straight on the floor. Dream moved aside the covers and brought his face down to George's, who had finally opened his eyes to glare at him. Dream only smirked in reply, reaching his arms down and underneath George's body. He let out another small squeak as he was lifted out of the bed, bridal style.

"Dream you asshole!" George smacked at his shoulder. "Oh my God, put me down!" Dream was unable to contain his laughter as a wheeze corrupted him. Despite being hyper aware of the way George's sleeping shirt rolled up from the way he was holding him and exposed a good portion of his stomach, the dark sweater he wore outlining his porcelain skin in a striking manner.

There were a lot of "could's" and "would's" running laps in Dream's mind, like how he _could_ have just set his friend down after waking him up. But instead, there he was, trying to balance George's weight on his right hip as he fumbled with the doorknob. Once it was open, he scooped George back up fully in his arms, and made his way down the familiar stairs.

George's parents sat together in the living room, a small number of prettily wrapped presents sitting underneath the fully decorated tree. They had cleared out all of the boxes and totes last night, so there was more room to maneuver around and, in their case, store away different various gifts.

Dream will admit that he didn't think about what he was doing through very much. It was an in-the-moment type deal, a "Wouldn't it be funny if I went ahead and did this?" if you will. Nora noticed the pair first, George having resorted to crossing his arms over his torso but yet pressing his face into Dream's chest. He was flustered—I mean, who _wouldn't_ be when your best friend literally carries you out of your own now _shared_ room to greet your _family_?—and wasn't doing a good job of hiding it. Not that Dream could talk, because a very apparent blush akin to the one he wore earlier, if not _greater_ than the one he held before, was brushed all across his face, goofy yet sheepish grin topping it all off.

He just made his way to the loveseat since Nora and Charles had taken the couch, and sat down, pulling George into his lap once he had situated himself. Dream made sure to let go of George, make it _clear_ that he could get up and just sit beside him if he wanted, but George stayed put on top of Dream, lifting his head to grin at his parents.

"Morning, Merry Christmas!" George's parents didn't make much of a deal out of their entrance, just casting a few unreadable glances back and forth before smiling.

"Merry Christmas you two!" Nora beamed, clasping her hands together. Charles smiled and nodded along, Dream taking note of the arm he had wrapped around his wife's shoulder. "You two seem comfy, did you sleep well?"

Dream just chuckled, scooting over and repositioning George so that he wasn't as scrunched up in his lap as he was. Dream sat forward with his feet planted on the ground, and George sat at his side—or rather, _on_ his side, they were so close—back leaning against the loveseat's arm and legs swung over Dream's lap. He kept one arm wrapped around Dream's waist and his forehead on his shoulder. One of Dream's hands was resting on George's thigh, soaking up all of the heat it gave off.

"I sure know _George_ did, he refused to get out of bed and I had to _carry_ him down here," Dream spoke with fake exasperation, sticking his tongue out as George rolled his eyes. Nora laughed.

"That sounds about right knowing from George. One time he _locked his door_ on a Sunday night so that he could sleep on Monday morning. Our house had the push locks that couldn't be undone with a key, so he ended up not going to school that day out of downright refusal!"

"You laugh about that now and yet threatened to ground me for life at the time," George shot back, twisting on Dream's lap to properly face his parents—or at least as properly as one could when cuddled up with your friend on a miniature couch.

"Oh stop, you were eleven!" Charles chuckled at his wife and son, mentioning something about going to help Cara with breakfast in the kitchen. He slipped away and Nora sighed happily, still smiling at the two boys. "The only thing he would _willingly_ get up for was whenever he had to go to the rink early! Just knowing that Xander would be at our doorstep at the crack of dawn changed your demeanor right up in a second!"

Dream found George's passion for skating completely and utterly _intoxicating_. Nora didn't miss the embarrassment written all over George as he curled further into the couch and _Dream_ , and _nobody_ could miss the way Dream seemed to melt right then and there, completely smitten despite not realizing it.

"Wow George, you valued figure skating over school? For shame," Dream playfully teased.

"Oh can it Mr. I-Refused-To-Do-School-And-Skipped-Until-I-Got-To-Do-Online," George shot back. Dream let out a low whistle, shaking his head slowly.

"Touché."

"Hey guys, breakfast is read-" Cara paused at the entryway of the living room, staring intently at the two wrapped-up boys, before casting them a knowing smirk. "Well look who finally decided to get up." She left it at that, before carrying on with what she was previously saying. "Breakfast is ready, we made pancakes and fancy bacon so get in here!"

Nora got up from the couch and followed her daughter who was retreating back into the kitchen. George let out a groan and nudged his nose further into Dream's shoulder, who just laughed the lightest, most adoring laugh ever in response. He rubbed small circles in George's thigh, shaking his head.

"Are we really going to do this again? You know I can't carry you everywhere," Dream asked aloud, not receiving a response. "When were you going to tell me you act like this in the morning? Do you cling onto everybody or am I special?" George shrugged, reluctantly bringing his head up so that their faces were inches apart.

"You're just warm." He shrugged again, shifting to stand up. Without waiting for Dream, he started walking in the same direction his mother just had.

Dream however, stayed on the couch for a moment longer, everything that just happened finally catching up to him after he was away from George—George— _George._

_Well what the fuck was all of that about?_

<<<->>>

Cara and Charles were a good team in the kitchen.

The dining table was laid out with two different types of pancakes—blueberry and plain for George who was lame—perfectly seasoned bacon, scrambled and sunny side up eggs, a plate of shredded hash browns, a bowl of fruit, fresh brewed coffee and orange juice. Dream felt more than grateful for the meal he was so graciously provided, making sure to thank the chefs multiple times throughout what should have been more accurately considered as _brunch_.

After eating and clearing the table, Nora rounded everyone back up in the living room. George and Dream took the loveseat for themselves once again, though they sat apart this time. Dream couldn't help but feel a pang of loss at the lack of contact.

Nora walked over to the tree and held up a large gift bag with a Christmas tree printed on the front. Both George and Cara groaned, sharing a look as their mother started handing them their individually wrapped packages.

George leaned over to Dream, not quite whispering but just slightly lowering his voice. "Ever year our Nana sends us these homemade sweaters to wear on Christmas," George explained, gesturing to the messily wrapped box in his lap. "I have a shit ton of random sweaters all with different designs stored away, but you have to admire the thoughtfulness she has."

Dream's smile was radiant, seeming to take the gesture to heart despite it being done for somebody else. He wished that Florida's weather could permit to wearing a new cozy sweater every year for the holidays, rather than the normal cool attire that would be worn year round.

George not-so-carefully started undoing the poor wrapping job, tossing it to the side in order to take the top of the thing cardboard box off. Once it was out of the way, he reached his hands in and grasped the polyester inside, lifting it to reveal the newest addition to his sweater emporium.

This one was a light blue with white specks sewed all across it. The was a snowman patched right in the center, carrot nose and all. George scoffed at the loosely hanging tinsel at the bottom, and around the sleeves.

"Look at how derpy he is," George joked, passing the article of clothing over to Dream.

"I think he looks kind of cute."

"Of course _you_ would."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means whatever you take it to mean."

The two broke out laughing, content with being in their own little secluded bubble together. George took the shirt back and looked it over again.

"Go change into them so we can send off a picture," Charles suggested, nodding his head towards the hallway that stretched out into the bathrooms and staircase. Cara stood and took her leave, carrying along a purple cotton sweater in her arms.

"I'm sorry that there we don't have one for you, sweetie," Nora apologized, frowning in Dream's direction. He just shook his head, smiling widely as he glanced over at George who was standing up from the cushions.

"It isn't a problem at all! I'm lucky enough to actually be here and see your traditions head on."

George seemed to be considering something, his lip having gotten pulled between his teeth. With a snap of his fingers he turned and grabbed Dream's wrist, yanking him up from the couch.

"I've got it! Two years back, Nana made me one that was practically three sizes too big. I nearly _drowned_ in it!" He didn't let go of Dream's wrist as he brought him back up the stairs.

"George... I know where this is going and I'm not sure if I like it." George rolled his eyes and entered his room, breaking his grasp on Dream to rush over to his closet.

"What happened to simply _adoring_ the idea of getting a new sweater every year?" George pressed, smirking as he started to rummage through his belongings.

"I never said that," Dream tried, to which George scoffed.

"Didn't have to, I could see it just by the way you looked at it. Like you were _longing_ for it." George's words were exaggerated and playful, and Dream giggled at the accusation, but something inside of him stiffened.

_If he could read me that easily, what else has he picked up on? Does he know things about me even I haven't come to terms with yet?_

"Yes! Found it!" George looked up at Dream and wiggled his eyebrows. "Drumroll please?" Dream sighed but humored his friend, rolling his tongue to mimic that of a drum. George took the sweater and stood up with it behind his back, dramatically shifting his weight back and forth as if he was building up suspense.

"C'mon man, just show me it already." George pursed his lips together before exclaiming,

"Tada!" He shoved his arms forward, presenting the sweater Dream would get the pleasure of wearing. It was red, a full, bright red. The sleeves had white lines running up and down the arms and in the center was a 3D wreath made out of green tinsel taking up the entire front side. As if the painfully large amount of shiny green wasn't already enough, the entire collar was also made out of the material. Dream's eyes blew wide and George snickered, tossing him the shirt and ushering him out into the hallway.

"It's great, I know, thank me later. Now go try it on!" The bedroom door was slammed into Dream's face before he could try to talk back about it. He knew that George would be getting changed as well so there was no barging back in and demanding a different sweater. With a small chuckle, he made his way to the bathroom, staring at the loveable monstrosity in his hands.

Dream entered the restroom and shut the door behind him, the soft click of metal on metal assuring him that it was closed all the way. Slipping the sweatshirt he had slept in off of his body and replacing it with the scratchy homemade one, he made sure to do a mirror check before exiting.

Sure, it was extremely uncomfortable—who in their right mind would willingly wear _tinsel_ all around their neck?!—but the knowledge that it was made by George's grandmother made him much warmer inside than any knitted fabric ever could.

"You look dapper," George spoke from behind, grabbing his arm to turn him around and admire the way _his_ sweater fitted Dream. The two stood there in the upstairs hallway, admiring each other, until Cara's door swung open and they were forced to look away and carry on down the hallway.

"Yew look dap-par," Dream mocked George's accent, receiving a small punch to the shoulder.

"You do realize that literally everyone in this house is British except for you, right?" Cara piped up from behind them as they—for what already seemed like the hundredth time that day—took their seats in the living room. George broke out laughing at Dream's face which was slightly scrunched up, as if he was considering different responses to that statement.

"You got him all dumbfounded now, way to go," George poked Dream's side. The conversation didn't last because Nora had stood from the couch, hands held in front of her. She was wearing a sweater as well, one that was black and held multicolored zig zags all across it.

"Come gather in front of the tree real quick so we can start opening presents!" She directed, ushering her family over. Dream just stayed seated, watching as they fumbled with an older looking camera. George had his arms crossed over his chest and was sending Dream scrunched up faces to fill the silence, to which he sent back his own.

After awkward positioning and dozens of failed attempts, Nora deemed one of the photos perfect and was ready to put the camera away.

"Well wait a second," George spoke up. reaching out for his mother's hand which had been inching towards the power button. "I didn't trash my closet looking for that old sweater for nothing."

Dream stared up at his friend, shaking his head wildly at the vexatious look that was being sent his way. Nora gasped, seeming to love the idea immediately.

"What a wonderful idea! Your grandmother would love to know that _somebody_ actually got to wear that one!"

So that was how Dream was dragged off of the couch by George, their arms linked together all throughout the second photo shoot. Somewhere during everything, it was suggested that George and Dream take pictures together. Many different poses and faces were made as the whole room burst at the seams with laughter. At one point in time, Dream ended up behind George with their bodies pushed together, his arms draped around his shoulders and his head on top of the brunet's.

Though the day was hardly halfway through, Dream felt it was already turning out to be one of the best Christmases he had ever had the privilege of experiencing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update guys! Motivation to write has been on and off but I hope that the longer chapter makes up for that. I realized I wrote wayyy too much in the planning doc for Christmas so it will be continued into chapter twelve so keep an eye out for that.
> 
> I'd like to thank you for the support this story has had as well, it means a lot! I hope you're all doing well and have a rest of your good day/night! <3


	12. Thank You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Part Two

Ten minutes into ripping away at colorful tissue paper and snowflake-covered wrapping, the doorbell rang.

Dream, surveying the busy family, stood up from the soft cushions of the loveseat (which he and George had practically claimed at this point, let's be honest) to answer it for the family. While not wanting their festivities to be interrupted was part of the reason he offered to answer the knocking, the fact that he knew who would be behind the door also played into it.

"Heya Dream, Merry Christmas!" Xander sang out when Dream opened the door, two large bags at his feet. Dream grinned and stepped aside, letting him into the warmth that the house held and out of the chilly afternoon air.

"Merry Christmas! What's with the bags?" He gave a pointed nod at the multicolored gifts that were now being held, one in each hand. While Dream closed and locked the front door, Xander answered,

"What? You think in gonna go over George's house while my second set of parents are here and _not_ bring them anything? The audacity!" Xander brought one hand (which still clasped around the handle of the smaller of the two bags) up to his chest as if to mock hurt. Dream wrinkled his nose up in return, glancing behind him to see if any of the Davidson's had made their way towards them yet. They had not.

"Well anyways, did you bring it?" His voice dropped in both the volume and octave, as if they were exchanging secrets like school children. The bag that was at Xander's chest was now being pushed into Dream's.

"Relax, I've got you. Now go hide it or put it under the tree or something so I can go in and say hi." Dream beamed down at Xander, making sure to thank him profusely while nodding and slipping away to store the gift for later.

Xander took this time to fully enter the house, stepping into the living room with his arms spread out far in the air.

"Merry Christmas to my favorite batch of Brits this town has to offer!"

Nora stood up from where she had been hunched over a small box, side stepping multiple trinkets scattered on the floor in order to reach Xander and pull him into a hug.

"I was wondering when my favorite child would come and visit while we were in the city; Merry Christmas!" George rolled his eyes, sharing a challenging glare with his friend from over his mother's shoulder.

Dream reentered the room, shuffling past the family who was sharing their welcomes to the newest addition. He reclaimed his spot side-to-side with George, leaning into the back of the smaller couch and crossing his arms over his chest.

Despite both of their legs touching slightly at the knees due to close proximity, Xander still insisted on waltzing over to the loveseat and plopping himself down between them—or rather, on their laps.

"Was that really necessary, Xan?" George huffed out, bringing his hands up to push his shoulder with a heavy force. Xander put up a fight, throwing an arm around each man's shoulder to pull them all closer together.

"Absolutely. If I didn't you would just ignore me, so what better way to get your attention?" He pursed his lips, pouting at the brunet as if he had committed a great offense. George just sighed as Dream started to chuckle at his side.

" _I_ wouldn't ignore you, don't worry," He piped up, grinning at George's defeated look he half-assed towards Dream. Xander wiped his head around, smirking.

"That's only because you needed me. If I didn't have that bag you would've-" Right before Dream could shut him up, Cara did.

"Alright kids, quit bickering already, it's draining me and I'm not even a part of it." Xander waved his hand (that was still around George's shoulder) as if to excuse her statement. Nora chuckled, standing by the couch but not making any move to sit down. New clothes, little nick—knacks, and computer parts littered the floor around her slippered feet.

“Xander hun, we’ve got something for you over there under the tree,” she spoke, nodding her head toward the heavily decorated pine. Making sure to give both Dream and George's shoulders a respective pat, he practically jumped up from the couch to make his way towards the last few remaining presents.

Charles leaned over, pointing out one with a snowflake pattern for Xander to grab. Securing it in his hands and standing up, Xander went to his own bag—the one he hadn't handed off to Dream— and picked it up.

"I _suppose_ this means that I should hand these out to you guys as well then, huh?" He asked with a grin, setting down his own gift in favor of passing around smaller boxes to the Davidson's.

Dream sat back, watching the family continue to tear open tissue and paper with a newfound joy ringing through the air. Cara with a new roll of film and a battery for her camera—she was a sucker for photography, and had been needing a replacement for quite some time—Charles with a cap for some sports team Dream couldn't pick out, Nora with two new candles and a few flowers—basic—and George with….

"Fuck. You." George tossed the box towards the wall behind them, whatever it contained still kept inside. Xander broke out into boisterous laughter, jogging over to where he had thrown it in order to taunt him with it.

"C'mon Georgie, you know you'll use 'em! No need to thank me!" He teased, sitting back down between Dream and George after retrieving the gift.

"What… is it?" Dream asked carefully, eyeing George's pissed but very, _very_ flushed cheeks. Cara was busy talking to her parents about the new roll of film so the three were kept in their own little conversation bubble.

Xander wiggled his eyebrows and in a swift motion, revealed what was inside the box as if he were unveiling the cure to cancer. George's face scrunched up, and he tried looking away from the pair like it would make them disappear, crossing his arms.

Xander started repeatedly poking George's cheek with the corner of a box of cheap condoms.

Dream sputtered, taking a second to take in the sight before joining in on Xander's teasing laughter and playful remarks. George, as hard as he was trying to seem annoyed, let a grin play onto his lips.

"Figured you might need them now that you guys will be sharing a room for the next week."

Annnnnnd the smile was gone.

"WHAT?!"

"Xander you asshole, give me the fucking-"

Dream was choking on his own spit and George was trying to comprehend what his idiotic friend was implying, all while balancing the most irritated expression imaginable. Most likely to make up for the fact that he was blushing, though maybe if he took a second to relieve Xander of his solid glare, he would notice the crimson sea painted over Dream's cheeks as well.

"Oh man! Aw, I wish I recorded that, Riley would've _loved_ it!" Xander cackled, rolling over on his side so that he was almost laid out on top of both non responsive men. "Speaking of which, if you liked my gift you'll _love_ what she got for you-"

"That's enough of that!" George piped up, successfully snatching back the box and tossing it back over his shoulder after giving Xander's head a few much deserved hits. "I think you broke Dream. He's now regretting ever deciding to spend Christmas here you dickhead."

That seemed to bring Dream back, who shook his head and fell back into his simple, smirking self.

"Oh please, I'm enjoying this show here." He said, shoving Xander's feet off of his lap so he could cross his legs. The newest addition to their (what used to be) simple Christmas day sighed, shifting so that he was sitting upright again.

"Yeah, yeah." He reached out with his foot, hooking it around the loop of his nearly-empty present bag. Dragging it closer to where they sat, he pulled out a white box and handed it to George.

Dream couldn't help but notice one final gift sitting at the very bottom, but said nothing.

"Anyways, here's your _real_ gift, I guess," he said, handing George the box who took it with a raised eyebrow. "Don't worry, it's not like lube or a dildo or something. You have enough of those as is."

What was that? Wack number three in the past five minutes, and counting?

George—deciding to just ignore Xander at this point—worked on unraveling whatever this "real" gift was, Dream leaning over Xander's lap to watch him. From across the room, Cara snapped a picture.

Xander watched with a smug look as George’s eyes lit up, shooting him a quick glance as he picked up the bag that had been stored inside of the box. It was a new skate bag—Transpack to be exact. This specific one was noticeably larger than his current bag, all black with blue accents. It definitely topped the one he currently had, and all three of them clearly knew it.

“These cost nearly a hundred dollars- how’s you?-” Xander shushed George by sticking his pointer finger into his face, wagging it slightly as if to enunciate the silent quieting.

“The least I could do, you’ve been using the same ragged bag for actual _ages_.” Dream rose his eyebrows and nodded his head in agreement. Though George’s current bag did the job, it was clear that it had been worn down with years of love and use.

“Well shit, now I feel like my gift for you is crappy.” George stood up, making the same not-so-careful path to the tree that he had way too many times to count in just that day. He picked up the last present—the other few remaining ones having been opened by his parents while the trio messed around on the loveseat—and tossed it over the expanse of the living room to his friends.

Even though Dream hadn’t done anything but watch all of that afternoon’s events unfold, he was still eating up the chaotic but oh so caring environment. He had even gotten something from Cara, a little souvenir she must have picked up at some corner store. Needless to say, he had already picked out the perfect shelf to put it on back home.

As Xander went through with opening his gift—a book, a pair of gloves, and stuffed animal that all held a story which had been tuned out—Dream found himself walking out of the room and into the kitchen, where he had stored the smaller bag from earlier behind the counter. Not necessarily the best spot, he would say, but it served his purpose.

When he reentered the living room, Charles was already going around to pick up the mess that had been thrown about the carpet. Nora, Cara, and Xander were wrapped up in some conversation that must have been interesting judging by the large, extravagant hand motions both Xander and Cara were going back and forth in doing. And George was just sitting there, alone on the loveseat, eyes meeting Dream’s the second he walked in as if he was watching the doorway and waiting for him to come back (because, well, that’s exactly what he was doing).

He gave Dream a wide smile, dimples prominent and eyes bright. Dream stopped in his tracks, staring down at the bag in his hand and back up at his friend, before giving himself his own little nod as if in reassurance and shooting back a grin. He sat down next to George, knees turned towards the Brit. George mimicked the action, giving the dirty blond all of his attention.

“What’s in the bag?” George asked, cocking an eyebrow. Dream’s grin only grew as he set it down in the brunet’s lap, sheepishly saying,

“Well why don’t you find out for yourself?”

George drew his eyebrows together, a curious smile mixing with his already excited one. Slowly, he reached into the bag as if to build up suspense, despite the two being in their own little world together. There was no reason to add anticipation, and yet the dusting of tension made both men giddy.

George let a gasp escape his lips as he looked into the bag, then up at Dream. Down and up and down again before quickly bringing his hands down to pull up the item inside. He lifted a pair of skates, ones that were even more expensive than his new bag. They were all black, an artistic pair with fine laces and a good build. Looking further into the gift bag, George could see skating blades tucked away so that whenever he was ready, he could use the new pair.

“Dream… you didn’t have to- these are- _thank you_ but these are so _expensive_! You know these run at around two hundred _at least_ , right?” Dream just chuckled, setting his hand down on George’s forearm, both internally panicking for (not so) different reasons.

“George, of course I know how much they cost. _I_ was the one who bought them, anyway.” George looked uncertainly up at the man, worried about the amount he had spent on him. Dream, easily reading his friend’s body language, brought his hand up from his forearm to his hair, running his fingers through it a few times before ruffling it good-naturedly. “Go ahead and try them on! I wanna see you wearing them all proud and shit at the competition.”

George just nodded, reaching inside to pull out a piece of cardboard and retrieve the tied up laces. He slipped the right skate on, and then the left, standing easily in what were just currently miniature heels. With an encouraging wave from Dream, George started walking around the room, quickly being riled up by Xander and Cara. Soon he was practically strutting around, laughter rolling off of his tongue as he weaved around the living space. By the time he plopped himself back down next to Dream, he sighed, the embers that little happy rush gave him being put out.

“Dream, I just- thank you _so_ much. When did you even _get_ these? What I got you wasn’t even _close_ to how nice this is and-” Dream, once again, cut him off, not wanting his friend to feel inferior due to a simple Christmas gift.

“George, it’s _fine_. You’re welcome! Of course I would get you something nice, it’s Christmas and I’m spending it with _you_ and _your_ family and friends in _your_ country! That day that I went out with Xander while you and Cara went off alone? Well, we did a bit of shopping for ourselves and he kept it at his place so that I wouldn’t need to worry about you seeing it too soon. And I _loved_ the ornaments, they were amazing, don’t worry at _all_.”

George shook his head, slipping off the incomplete skates and placing them back into the bag. Dream raised an eyebrow as he made his way for Xander’s small stash he had left at the edge of the loveseat, and rose them even higher when George reached for the last present Dream had seen get left behind earlier. In a flash, it was in his lap, a waiting George looking up at him.

The gift had three things inside, and each one made Dream melt.

The first was a membership card to the rink George went to, the words “ _You’re always welcome xx”_ written in black ink on the back. Somebody had crossed out the expiration date and put a smiley face next to it instead.

The second was a framed photo that he hadn’t even remembered being taken. It was messy and chaotic, Riley on Xander’s back and Davis was trying to get them down. Sheya and Rayyan stood off to the side, doing what looked to be a rendition of a fist bump. George held his hand over his mouth while Dream tried to lift him onto his shoulders as well (ultimately failing and almost falling down, Davis having rushed over from one pair to the next last second). It had been taken in the spur of the moment, the first day at the rink. Cara had _insisted_ on capturing the moment, and told everybody to quickly pose for a photo before leading them out to the car. Despite it being slightly blurry and noticeably poorly planned out, Dream felt it made all of their personalities perfectly displayed, all in just one simple picture.

The third was a small, knit blob similar to the one that he was known for across a multitude of different platforms. Instead of just being a full, white, smiley-faced creature, it had a black jacket stitched on it. There was a crystal blue snowflake embroidered on the back and Dream recognized it to be the symbol for George’s rink.

He looked back up at George, mouth opening and shutting like a trout, words refusing to come out. The sheer _gratitude_ was extremely noticeable in his eyes alone, which looked nearly close to brimming over with tears. George, in the exact same position as Dream, decided to speak up for him.

“We all pitched in. Davis scored us the membership card which wasn’t _too_ difficult, and Sheya made sure to make a few… _corrections_ to it. Cara took the picture, but you already know that. We had Xander get it printed and Rayyan bought the frame. And then Riley—oh my goodness, _Riley_ —made that stupid little stuffed blob for you _by hand_. I was _supposed_ to give you the ornaments today, but clearly that didn’t work out, but still consider them a part of your gift.”

Dream was speechless. These people, who he had known for only about a _week_ , went through all of that trouble for _him_? Some random American who was just visiting his best friend who happened to be close with all of them? I mean sure, he had been spending a good amount of time with Riley and Xander, but the other three, who he had hardly spoken to, helped out as well?

“George I really don’t know what to say here,” he spoke honestly, setting aside all of the objects so that he could discretely scoot closer to the brunet.

“Then don’t. You don’t need to say anything.” George’s smile softened, and he leaned in closer to Dream, maintaining eye contact all the way. They were close— _so close_ —and Dream suddenly felt intoxicated.

George let out a small giggle, bringing his head to rest on Dream’s shoulder. Dream stammered, heart collapsing in his chest, before bringing his arms around George, holding him close. This man, the one who he had helplessly been dragged under dozens of layers he hadn’t ever reached before, was going to be the death of him.

A click of a camera; though it went unnoticed by the pair.

“Thank you, so much,” Dream whispered, nudging his head into George’s hair, eliciting a a small shudder from the smaller male.

“Merry Christmas, Dream.”

<<<->>>

“Thank you so much for helping me with dinner, sweetie!” Nora beamed at Dream, who was fiddling with the apron he had worn while baking just a few days prior. He grinned, shaking his head as he tied a small knot in the strings behind his back.

“It isn’t a problem at all, Mrs. Davidson. I’m happy to help in any way I can.” Nora gave him a pointed look, waving the wooden spoon she held in his general direction.

“What did I tell you about formalities? Lighten up a little!” Dream smiled and gave her a chuckle, siding up next to her at the counter. There were two recipe books and one laptop out, all displaying different recipes. Nora was currently working on a roasted chicken while Dream read off a recipe for a cranberry sauce.

There were Christmas tunes being carried throughout the house (though when was there not?) and off-key karaoke drifted in through the open entryway from the living room. Currently, Xander, George, and Cara were having a “Christmas Rap Battle” with Charles as the judge. Not wanting Nora to be off on her own cooking, Dream decided to join her in the kitchen, lending her help in whatever she needed.

While leaning over a book, reading a recipe for some sort of mixed vegetable side, and stirring a saucepan, Nora spoke up once again.

“I’d like to thank you, Dream.”

Confused, he looked up from the book and halted his stirring.

“Thank you? What for?” He questioned. Nora brought a hand up to his shoulder, lightly squeezing it before going back to the seasoning process she was enduring.

“For being with George. He was quite nervous, you know, about the whole skating thing. Cara told me all about how he stressed over whether or not you and your other friends would be alright with it. A silly thing to think, quite honestly, but he’s always been a worrier.” That was true, George could be extremely confident and cocky half of the time, but unspoken anxieties were apparent in the way he acted.

“Apparently,” Nora went on, “he was freaking out over finding a good gift for you and consulted Cara about fifty times.” She laughed, shaking her head as she thought over her son’s antics. “I’m glad you’re here, spending this time with him. It means a lot to George, whether he would say so or not, you know that?”

Dream slowly nodded, his breath hitching in his throat. He knew George valued him a lot, but stressing over something as simple as his view on him being altered? Over something as miniscule as a hobby?

“I care about him a lot, of course I was accepting of his figure skating, it’s epic! And _I_ should be thankful for even _being_ here in the first place! It means a bunch to be able to be with him as well.” With a sigh, he added onto the end, reiterating what he started with in a voice heavy with something much more than sincerity, “I care about him.”

Nora smiled over the dish she was preparing, nodding her head along with his words.

“I know you do, Clay, I can tell.” She turned to look him in the eyes. “Just make sure _he_ knows that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay SUPER important question here, it would mean a bunch if you could give me your input here. I have two different ways the competition chapter could go. One would be more realistic, but would slow down George and Dream's actual relationship a tad bit. This would be a smooth chapter, no little ~plot twists~, etc. OR I could go with a less realistic but more interesting route that would bring about the relationship quicker. Either way, nothing to do with the routine will DRASTICALLY change.
> 
> So less interesting but more realistic, or more interesting but something that would probably never happen in the real world? Help!! <3 (Thank you for all of your support recently, it's been crazy!!! :))) )


	13. I Dare You...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after Christmas. A party, a stop by the rink, a trip to Riley's closet....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consumption of alcohol mentioned. Very light, everything is still fluffy! :)

The twenty-sixth of December.

Everybody knows it as a day full of remorse. The child-like wonder and joy that comes from gathering with people you love, and just being able to branch out for a singular twenty-four hour period officially comes to a close. For the rest of the world, the festivities are over and it's time to start welcoming in the new year.

Not for George.

For George, it's still a day of large-scale celebration. The twenty-sixth has always— _always_ —been a traditional hang out day for him and his rink mates. Usually the night would start off at Riley's house, then a few hours (or rather, drinks) in, they would migrate over to the rink due to the close walking difference the trip offered.

Last year had left Davis and George taking shots side-by-side, trying to see who could go on the longest and still be able to skate upright. Needless to say, both tumbled the second they tried to glide across the ice, leaving all of the others in shambles from their shaky laughter.

The year before that, Xander and Riley got the great idea to play chicken on the ice... while tipsy and unbalanced. Of course Sheya and Rayyan were up for the challenge, which left George and Davis trying to weave around the pairs, helping Sheya and Riley mount their partners, and praying to whoever's up there that nobody would get hurt.

The praying part didn't work, seeing the fact that only a minute in, Riley was sprawled out on the ground, Xander somehow on top of her.

So _maybe_ , playing chicken on the _ice_ wasn't the smartest idea they had ever had, but they could just blame that on the drinks and not their own stupidity—all except for Sheya, who doesn't drink. The group pokes fun of her for it constantly, but then again, there are loads of things that they have against everyone, making a pool-game-gone-wrong nowhere _near_ the top of the list.

And they all knew that list was far from complete.

So of course, today would be no exception from the years prior for George. It was noon—the party being later that night—and while his family was eating lunch together in the kitchen, he and Dream were tangled up together on the living room couch, a game of Minecraft displayed on the television screen in front of them.

"Dream, you stand literally _no_ chance," George boasted, jabbing his shoulder into his friend's side playfully, and letting it rest there after. Both were curled up underneath a shared, fluffy blanket, one of George's legs over both of Dream's, Xbox controllers in hand as they had a mini manhunt, Dream hunting.

"I highly doubt that, George!" He stole a glance at the right side of the screen, gasping as he watched Dream equip an iron chest plate, leggings following closely after. "You're already done for, and it's only been twenty minutes!"

George huffed, steering his character around in a zoomed out perspective while running through a desert biome. He had only gathered enough iron for an axe, a pickaxe, a bucket, and a flint and steel, leaving Dream with the upper hand. He was, however, notably farther ahead due to the minimum mining he had done (and a red leather cap), so if he could just find a...

"Lava pool! Yes!" George called out, laughing at the frustrated grunt Dream let out. He sat up as the latter shrank down, mumbling something under his breath while he exited the cave system he was stuck in.

George continued blabbering on about the nether—how the spawn would be right by a fortress and he'd be in and out before Dream even caught up—while slowly but surely building up a portal. As he focused on gathering up lava in his bucket and placing the blockers just right (in an upside down L, of course) he took no notice of how a certain someone stopped talking entirely, making his character crouch as he inched along the blocks in the game.

Lighting the portal and stepping in, George let out a final victorious cry. Unbeknownst to him, the system Dream had entered let out only one hundred blocks from the edge of the desert, bringing his hunter right to him. Too caught up shifting over each edge of his nether spawn, overlooking every direction, the flickering of purple particles in his peripheral and faint footsteps slipped his mind.

"You thinking of going to the blue biome or over towards that bastion first?" Dream asked nonchalantly, stopping his character beside George's. A solid two seconds of processing was what took George to realize that yes, his friend had snuck up behind him and yes, they were both shifting over a large lava lake.

With a screech, George's character started to stumble backwards at Dream's punch. Rapid clicking of both controllers could be heard with an overlay of Dream's laughter. In the end, as George finally fell off the edge of the nether rack cliff, he scrolled through his hot bar to a highly low-durability bow, shooting his only three arrows (obtained by killing a crap-ton of skeletons) at the block character above him.

The TV pinged. Dream gasped, then shrieked, George now the one laughing.

"Yes! Yes! I got you!" George pointed out with a flush of pride. He butted his head into Dream's neck, resting it on his shoulder as the younger sighed.

"I still won, though! That means nothing," Dream argued, shifting his body so that George could get more comfortable. A simple, subconscious act, but an appreciated one.

"Let me have at least that, Dream," George groaned, rolling his eyes at the death message displayed on both sides of the screen. "You have to admit that it was a sick shot, though."

Dream mimicked the little eye roll childishly, powering off the game as he mumbled words of agreement. Both men decided to stay clumped together on the couch under the white fuzzy blanket that held them close while scrolling through YouTube. Not that he would ever admit it, but George was focusing more so on his friend's face than the search engine that flashed before them on the dark grey screen.

It was no secret that he was a pretty guy. George himself couldn't lie about the fact that he had been infatuated with Dream the first time he had seen him on the ice. But that was different from this, whatever " _this_ " was. " _This_ " was dangerous grounds that shouldn't be treated upon, despite how closely both had tiptoed on the invisible line that rested between them over these past few days. It brought back a familiar flurry from ages ago inside of George, one he wished would just stay buried.

"George, your sister is calling you," Dream spoke, nudging his leg off of his lap, breaking George's train of thought. With a sigh, he nodded and tossed the blanket off of him, making sure to reposition it on Dream (who gave a thankful smile in return) before walking towards the kitchen. Just as he was about to exit the living room, Cara popped in, hands hidden away in her jean pockets.

"Finally, I got tired of waiting and thought you passed out or something," she joked, flicking her younger brother's forehead. George wrinkled his nose, small creases forming under his eyes as he swatted at the hand.

"Yeah, yeah, well I'm here now. What's up?" He asked, aware of how Dream was not-so-inconspicuously listening along to their conversation. To be fair though, Cara was a naturally loud person and either way the whole house would hear whatever she had to say.

"What time are you leaving tonight?" She asked, rekindling the rush of plans George held for that day in his head. Cara continued, "And are you letting Dream tag along?"

Subtle.

"Where're you going?" Dream asked casually, turning around on the couch to look both of them over. George ran a hand through his ruffled hair, concentrating on the back wall as he counted down the hours, ignoring Dream's question.

"I think they wanted us over at around seven, so we'll leave in about six hours. Why? You coming with this year or staying over here?"

"Probably staying, I was just wondering." Cara responded, pivoting to make her way out of the room but stopping to turn back around and ask, "You taking him with you?" George looked at Dream who was leaning over the back of the couch now, waiting for the explanation that never came. George just shrugged.

"Well, I wasn't planning on leaving him here to fend for himself. Do you like parties, Dream?"

"I mean sure, but where are we _going_?" George grinned, walking back to the couch to pick up his phone and idly switch it on.

"Every year we go over Riley's and mess around, then do some late night skating on the day after Christmas," George explained, pocketing his phone and moving to put away the gaming controllers. "You in?"

"Well obviously, why would I want to miss out on that?" George chuckled at the response, looking up to see that Cara had left the room and it was just the two of them. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off. "Does this mean I'm finally a part of the Skating Crew?"

George shut his mouth and wrinkled his nose at the name, reaching downwards to push Dream's head lightly with his hand. "Not if you call us that again, idiot."

Dream beamed up at George, his laughter making his heart leap and twirl like a prima ballerina on a large oak stage. With a final smile and a playful glint in his eye, "I can't make any promises, dumby."

<<<->>>

"You sure this is the place?" George groaned, throwing his arms out as they walked up a long and notably empty driveway. The long cement path led up to a smaller one story house sitting two blocks away from the ice rink.

" _Yes_ , it's the right place." George spoke out exasperatingly. "You would think I would know where one of my best friends lived by now but _no_ , Dweam's sense of direction overpowers that I guess."

"Well I mean, it looks pretty empty."

"That doesn't mean it's not her house?" The two went back and forth as they came upon the front porch. Dream stood behind George as he shifted his skating bag (for later, apparently) in his arms to knock on the door.

It swung open and light filtered out of the opening and out onto the two men. Rayyan had opened it, and was now stepping away from the door to wave them in.

"George and Dream are here!" He called over his shoulder, turning back with a grin. George latched his arm around Dream's, tugging him into the house with Rayyan trailing behind.

All of the others had already gathered around in the kitchen. They sat around the main table, a game of Uno in the center and scattered snacks and drinks all around. Green and red lights were strung and flashing through the halls, Christmas music flowing through the air despite it being the day after.

Riley, who had just successfully slammed down her final card in glee, whipped her head around to face George and Dream.

"Alright! The platonic boyfriends are finally here!" She rose her hand up, as if to showcase their entrance further. George huffed, having not let go of Dream's arm and instead opting for lowering his hand to interlock with the slightly larger one at his side. Riley grinned and nodded her head slowly, taking a sip from a bottle that sat leisurely on the table. "Alright. I see you, I see you."

George laughed, dropping the hand and shaking his head slightly. "Yeah, yeah. Just like I saw you and that waitress last—"

Riley launched forward, waving her hands at George who leaned forward to poke at her cheek playfully. The rest of the table broke out in bubbly laughter, resuming conversation and reshuffling the deck.

Dream watched from the side, his skin burning from whatever the hell George just did and his mind racing faster than he could keep up with if he tried. George seemed to notice his tense position, and jostled his shoulder slightly, a soft smile on his face.

"You okay?" Dream returned the grin, nodding his head with a slight exhale.

"Yeah I'm good. Just... thinking I guess." George rolled his eyes, setting down his bag by one of the empty seats at the table.

"Well _that's_ dangerous." He tugged Dream with him to the other side of the room, stopping by the fridge. "Want something to drink? Riley has soft drinks and shit outside if you don't want something from here." Dream shrugged, so George handed him a can from the fridge to go with his own.

"George! Quick! Do you think I could fit fifteen marshmallows in my mouth right now?" Xander yelled out, bag of Christmas colored sweets in one hand and bottle of water in the other. George sighed, plopping himself down at the table.

"You're an absolute menace to society, I hope you know that," he responded, cracking open his beer and setting it to the side. Dream sat down beside him, stretching his arms out with a smirk.

"And a coward! Do twenty." George gaped at Dream while Xander chortled, unzipping the bag with clear intent.

"See George? Maybe Dream being here will make you a bit cooler! I like this guy's— style." Towards the end he shoved in three marshmallows, muffling his words slightly.

Despite being a tad bit worried at first, Dream filtered in nicely with George's friends even more so in a non-rink environment.

Multiple drinks in and they had all migrated into the living room where a decorated tree still stood. Xander, Davis, Sheya, and Rayyan were all in the middle of a very intense game of Mario Kart, while Riley, George, and Dream sat beside providing _very_ supportive remarks.

"USE THE DAMN RED SHELL!"

"You completely _missed_ the question block you idiot."

"You _actually_ suck—YOU JUST DROPPED DOWN TO SEVENTH!"

George leaned into Riley's side, both sitting on the floor with Dream on the couch behind them, and yawned. From his seated position, Dream casually sat threading his fingers through his hair.

Only a few hours had passed leaving it to be around ten at night. Despite the time, the house was still full of life. Music blasted and lights flickered, candy were scattered and empty plates rested idly on side tables.

"YES!" Davis.

"FUCK!" Xander.

With a sigh, Xander, who placed the lowest among the four, stood up and tossed his remote back down on the couch behind him.

"That's it, I'm leaving. This place is lame!" He jogged over to where his own bag was perched and started rummaging through its contents.

"Just because you suck, doesn't mean you have a right to call _my_ party lame," Riley retorted, George nodding his head along with her. Xander flipped them off leaving the group giggling.

As Dream continued twirling George's short, slightly matted hair around his index finger, George spoke up.

"Well, we _could_ head over to the rink. It's getting hot and I'm _bored_." A small chorus of agreement sounded around them and Riley nodded, standing up from the ground causing George to flop backward onto Dream's leg.

"Okay fine, but let me go grab my bag first and we can head out."

The group stood and moved around gathering their own belongings and slipping on their shoes. The trek over to the rink would be short, but the group still insisted on huddling together in the cold air as they scurried along.

Maybe it ended up with two specific people hand in hand and maybe it didn't. And maybe Xander hurriedly snapped a photo and sent it off to somebody, or maybe he didn't.

<<<->>>

"I don't understand the premise of that at all." George sighed, placing up his new skates and making sure the blade was secured underneath. He looked up at Dream who was towering over him, hands in his pockets and skates on the ground.

"Well first off you need to actually _put the skates on_." Dream rolled his eyes, sitting down next to the slightly tipsy George. He nodded his head as he removed his shoes, ushering him to continue.

"Basically, it's truth or dare but on the ice if that wasn't obvious. Childish, yes, but that would make sense considering we came up with the game when we were younger, and it just stuck as a sort of... tradition I suppose." George chuckled to himself, crossing his legs and tugging at his fitted jacket. "Everyone sits around—"

"On the _ice_?"

"Yes, Dream. On the ice. Now, everyone sits around and plays as the game would go on, but every time you opt out of a turn, you have to perform some sort of trick that the group picks out for you."

Dream nodded along, standing up as George did the same. Davis and Rayyan were already out on the ice, Riley and Sheya sat at the skate booth talking, and Xander was raiding a vending machine down the hall.

"Well that seems simple enough." George shrugged, closing his eyes for a brief moment as they walked towards the rink.

"It _was_ made by a group of children, but trust me, these guys are _merciless_ when it comes to the penalties. Last year, Riley had to attempt a _backflip_ on the ice because of Xander." He stepped aside, opening the gate for Dream to enter and closing it behind. When his skates met the ice he stumbled a little more than he normally would, having to latch onto Dream's side for support.

"A flip? But isn't that like- _illegal_ in skating?" George shook with laughter, recalling the incident that followed the trick.

"Yeah, and trust me, it's illegal for a _good reason_."

The rest of the group filtered in, each one a different level of intoxicated. Rayyan looked to be ready to fall right over, while Sheya was perfectly sober and issued to hold him steady.

Sitting in an ice rink with nothing to place underneath you in the middle of winter may arguably not be an intelligible move, but the skaters seemed to be used to it making Dream just suck it up and suffer a little chill.

"Hey Riley, you ready to do some more gymnastics?" Xander grinned, rubbing his hands together as he outstretched his legs on the ice. Riley winced, bringing a finger up to run along her cheek.

"Fuck you, I can practically still feel the bruise it left and it's been a _year_."

"That's because you're just over dramatic and drunk, sweetie." If there was one thing that tipsy Xander loved doing more than sober Xander, it was getting under his friends skin.

"Alright then, truth or dare? If you seem so confident." Riley was glaring daggers into Xander, who just sat by eating it up. Dream stared down at George who just looked back up at him with clouded eyes.

"'S normal," he spoke with a shrug, turning back to his friends unfurling in front of him.

"Dare."

"Okay, fine." Riley stood up, shakily gliding towards the edge of the rink. The group sat and watched her retrieve her bag in confusion, though didn't question her actions until she came back. With a grin, she reached down to drag Xander to a stand.

"I dare you to go change into one of these." Riley opened the bag and dropped it on the ground, three of her old skating outfits falling out. She grinned at Xander who just stared at the pile, but he quickly broke out into laughter as he bent down to pick one of them up.

It was a silver one piece and sparkly as hell. A built in skirt hung from the waist, short but flowy nonetheless. There was a large opening going down the middle, a fishnet lace covering over it. On the sides there were even more sequins all curled up into intricate designs.

In a second he was skating off and throwing the gate open to change into it.

The group burst out laughing at Riley's defeated yet not-so-surprised expression. Davis picked up his phone, ready to capture what was to come.

A few minutes later the sound of a distant door opening and slamming shut sounded, and the group looked up to see Xander hurry back to the rink, clad in the tight fitting outfit he was dared to wear.

"I am a queen and there's nothing you can say to change my mind."

Dream initiated a round of applause which they all succumbed to, watching as Xander skated around them pulling messily performed yet still seductive moves.

As they all calmed down and Xander took his seat on the ice again (wincing at the lack of, well, pants that had separated the coolness from his legs) he scanned over the others while warily eyeing the other two outfits thrown aside.

"George."

"No."

"Yes. Take your pick of the two left because you're joining me here."

Of the two outfits on the ice, one was remarkably larger than the other. Making the choice quite an obvious one for George.

"Fine," he groaned, standing up and grabbing a dark blue suit. "Oh for fucks sake." He groaned louder this time, upon realizing how... revealing it was. Half of his mind told him to just refuse and get whatever punishment the group had in mind out of the way early, but the other half...

The other half made him turn towards Dream. The other half took note of the very clear tint of his cheeks, and how much he wanted to wear it and put on a little show for him, despite never being able to admit it. He wanted to slip on the exhibiting costume and lock eyes with Dream the way he had that first day at the rink. He wanted to feel that rush again.

But the other side of him (Hell, who was he kidding? All of him wanted this, not just a certain side) also noticed the much larger outfit on the ground, and realized he could have some fun with this in more ways than one.

"Okay," he agreed, nonchalantly, turning on his heels to stumble out of the rink. He was giddy with anticipation as he made his way to the restrooms to change.

George changed quickly, his body hot to the touch despite the temperature of the building. The material of the costume was scratchy against his skin, and tight on his arms but other than that it fit surprisingly well.

He rushed back out of the bathroom, not bothering to throw back on his jack to cover himself up better as he normally would. Instead, he tossed his clothes into his skate bag and slowly made his way over to the gate.

The fabric was a vibrant blue, wrapping around his body in an almost delicate manner. _He stepped out onto the ice._ It curled around his neck and crossed his back, though only half of his chest was covered. It was clear that it was meant for a woman to wear, considering the almost bikini-like crop top fashion used in the design. _He glided across the ice, paying great mind not to trip and sway._ With the whole of his stomach showing he felt a tad bit exposed, but the look on Dream's face was all it took to usher those thoughts away. The main suit was a one piece, coming back down to cover his hips. Ocean-like fishnet fabric hung around his legs in a short skirt, stopping not even halfway past his thighs. The outfit was finished off with a pair of blue fingerless gloves, pulled snugly on his hands. _He stopped in front of the group_.

George brought his hands to his chest and let them run up himself, making sure to part his lips for extra effect. Maybe it was the light alcohol still coursing through his system that gave him a boost of confidence, or the way Dream's eyes were blown wide and his cheeks bright pink that did it. Either way, as he slowly slid his legs back and forth, left and right, he let himself be taken away by the beat inside his head (or was it his heart?).

After giving a few more leisurely spins, he stopped with his arms outstretched. A quick grin at Xander was spared.

" _That's_ how you make an entrance."

The groups whooped and clapped, Davis not pausing his recording as George did a cocky courtesy with his makeshift skirt. Only one person wasn't chiming in, and by now who that was should be obvious.

"What's the matter, Dream? Cat's got your tongue?" Riley teased, poking him in the leg. Dream just blinked, in less of a haze as he was before but still silently fixated on George. Said man skated up to him, okay with being bold in the moment. He could blame it on the alcohol later (even though everybody knew that he only had a few beers and he wasn't much of a lightweight).

George crouched in front of Dream, letting his legs spread out as far as the tight fabric would allow him to. They were eye level now, one pair seemingly about to burst out of their sockets and the other half lidded and flirtatious. George hooked a finger under Dream's chin and laughed at the strong exhale emitted from his friend. A small cloud puffed up around them due to the mix of temperatures in the air, making the gasp impossible to miss.

"Dream." George said it like a challenge, eyes now darting all across the dirty blond's face. He was reading him, watching for any subtle movement the taller may make. The second he sensed a shift (slightly similar to that day in the kitchen) George let his chin go and stood upright. "I dare you to wear the last piece."

That was enough to snap him out of whatever the fuck George dragged him into.

"Wh- what? Huh? No way, I'm not wearing _that_." Dream huffed, bringing a hand back behind him to rest on the ice.

"Hmm, I don't think you want to defy. You _are_ the worst skater here, so I don't really know if you want to test that." It was an empty threat, really. Not a threat at all. Dream would probably only have to attempt an axle or successfully skate backwards around the rink, the group going easy on him. But George held a sense of... power? An upper hand of sort? Whatever it was, Dream felt it too, sighing while he reached for the last piece of clothing.

"Are you sure I'll even _fit_ in it?" Dream asked cautiously, handling the outfit with belittling care.

"It should. That one is a piece I never wore because they shipped out a size _way_ too big. I brought it in case you or Davis needed a makeover as well." Leave it to Riley, always thinking ahead.

"That's hilarious!" Xander piped up, laughing as if he, too, wasn't dressed in one of Riley's costumes. "You'll be the first person to ever wear it and— it's green, too!" He finished with a gasp.

George chuckled and reached down to grab one of Dream's hands. He looks up in confusion at the brunet, who just tugged, helping him off of the ice. George pushed Dream away from the group with a smirk, whispering in his ear before he skated off,

"Don't disappoint us, now."

Dream shuddered.

"Damn George, you look hot." Rayyan chimed back in, words slurring together once Dream had left. The group's laughter rang back out once again. Davis offered his jacket for him and Xander to sit on together, both starting to envy the people who wore these types of clothes in real performances.

After a few minutes and then some passed, George sighed. Surely it wasn't taking Dream _that_ long to put it on.

"I'm gonna go drag him out here. Knowing Dream, he either got stuck in the costume or is hiding in a stall so he doesn't need to come out." George chuckled, standing up from the ice and making the familiar trek to the restrooms.

He was, however, stopped in the main room, just out of view from the rink by a man in a short green dress. The man spluttered, his head whipping towards George the second he came upon him.

There Dream stood, much more covered than George but still very bare. His outfit came with the plus of having long sleeves, and almost no fabric missing in the waist. Only his sides were exposed, his tan completion peeking out from the pine cloth. The costume started with a cuffed collar, and weaved it's way down to his waist where it continued to flow down to his mid-thigh. It was all a nice dark green, the edges trimmed with black lace and the center beaded with silver sparkles.

George's own breath hitched in a similar way he had watched Dream's do earlier. They both just stood and stared, rink mates forgotten in the moment.

"You look good," they both said at the same time. George brought his eyes up to Dream's which were already waiting, a flash of admiration filtering through to him. If George had a mirror, he was sure he would hold the same expression.

"Why thank you, but do you wanna tell me why you were hiding out here?" George jumped back into his playful banter, raising an eyebrow at the American who gave a small hiss as a first response.

"Didn't know how to top your entrance?" He tried, a lopsided grin falling over his stupidly pretty face. George giggled, smacking his arm lightly.

"Hmm, I'm _sure_ that was all it was." He teased, though deciding to drop it and instead pick up off of his excuse casually, quirky a brow. "You want me to show you how to make a _real_ entrance?"

So that's how Dream and George ended up skating into the rink together, leaned on each other's sides. Dream had one hand wrapped around George's waist. Once in the middle of the rink, his other hand followed, and George gave a little hop up into the grasp.

Maybe trying something like that without any practice whatsoever wouldn't normally be a good idea, but Dream had assured George he knew what he was doing so George trusted him. Perhaps a bit too much, but hey, what did it hurt?

Dream lifted George from the ground, one of George's legs wrapping around his shoulder as he let his body fall backwards, hoping Dream had him in a secure hold. He trailed one of his hands against the ice as Dream took control of their steady speed. The group gasped, a single cheer being uttered while the rest sat in slight awe. It went well, got the reaction they were aiming for, and neither fell throughout it. Key word: throughout.

Dream lifted George back up, helping him back down to his own standing position. As the group started to whoop like they had previously, albeit louder this time, Dream noticed something. George was laughing. He was _laughing_ laughing, in a way that was so free and pure and nothing like the way he would react through calls. And when he opened his eyes—God, they had been shut before in the happiness of the moment as well? Dream felt himself start to crumble—he let them rest on Dream, blown up and vibrant, the deep brown of his iris swirling with a giddy after math.

And Dream fell.

—In more ways than one.

Stumbling over his own feet, he tripped on the ice, nearly taking George down with him. Face first in the cool sheet underneath him, Dream sat. George on the other hand, stood directly next to him, unsure whether he should laugh or help him up.

When Dream groaned and sat up himself, rubbing the side of his nose, he decided to go with the latter. George giggled, reaching a hand down to help the larger man up.

"How did you manage to fuck up normal skating yet not a difficult partner move?" Xander asked incredulously, waving his hands in the air to emphasize his words. Dream just chuckled, face flushed a deep red from both embarrassment and the fact that _Holy shit that just happened. He had his legs around me... and I held him up... and he's wearing_ —

"Dream just sucks," George replied with a shrug, tugging on the hand still wrapped around his own to go sit back down. Xander abandoned the jacket so the two could sit on it together.

Despite being practically on top of each other, they got comfortable and conversation resumed, remarking about their little trick to Dream's outfit.

"I think he looks quite _dapper_." George said with a grin.

"It's okay George, you can just call me hot, you know," Dream teased, nudging his side.

"Well I didn't think you needed me stating the obvious but go off I guess."

Everyone laughed at the choked sound Dream made, George included. The glare sent his way only made him laugh even more.

<<<->>>

**Xander**

_[Attached Five Images]_

contentcontentcontentcontent

i Got some of it from davis btw

Here's your share

**_[Delivered 12:48 A.M.]_ **

**Cara**

THANK YOU

This is gonna be so good

**_[Delivered 12:57 A.M.]_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap this is the longest chapter yet. It took me five hours today but it was worth it for the ice rink scene (other than that it feels kind of ~eh~). This is unedited because I am extremely tired so I'm sorry if there are any spelling or grammar errors.
> 
> If it wasn't already made clear, my update scheduale has changed from every Friday to every Saturday just fyi LOL
> 
> Just wanted to say that I have another DNF fic out called "Sk8er Boi" and I am SO SO proud of it. I already like it 100x better than this fic, so if you wouldn't mind stopping by and checking it out,, jk jk, unless? ;))
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading! The contest will be coming up in two chapters so get ready.  
> Also, hello to that one person on TikTok who recommended this in a comment hehe :))


	14. Don't be an Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter with excerpts from the days of the twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth.

Three days.

That's how long they had until the naggingly awaited skating competition.

Dream and George had arrived home from the party in the late depths of night, giddy and light and still clad in the tiny dresses they had been dared to wear yet ended up loving. Dream relished in the way that the fabric hugged George's figure, and George not-so-discreetly did the same back.

Nobody had been awake when they stumbled in through the front door, laughing over George's inability to fit the key into the lock on the porch. Neither had drunk much—only a couple of beers and maybe a shot or two—but the little amount of alcohol mixed with the lighthearted atmosphere that came with being around the rest of the group filled both with a drunken feeling of liveliness that made up for any lack of intoxication in their veins.

Hastily locking the door behind them, both males rushed up the stairs to George's room, pushing and shoving each other as if it were some sort of race. When they were secured in the confinements of the familiar place, the door firmly shut after they entered, Dream tossed the bag ( _George's_ bag) he had been holding onto the floor and jumped onto the bed. George laughed out, cringing slightly at the shallow groan that came from Dream due to the outfit restricting him from making any sharp movements.

"C'mon Dream, you can't seriously be thinking about sleeping in _that_ ," George tried to reason, bending over with much more care for his costume than Dream had. Dream groaned once again as George took their clothes they had previously been wearing from his skating bag and transferred them into the small bin for dirty laundry in the corner of the room.

"Tired, just come here and sleep with me already." George laughed, rolling his eyes at his friend but walking over to the edge of the bed nonetheless. Dream had shifted his positioning so that he was no longer sprawled out on top of the sheets, rather curled on his side of the mattress with the covers open as he waited expectantly for George to join him.

"Dream, I'm not going to wear a dress to bed and neither should you. We have to _change_." Dream wrinkled his nose and sat up, staring George down warily.

"Why? You look good in it, though?"

George scoffed, biting at his bottom lift as he threw his weight back and forth from leg to leg. "It's not about caring for what I look like, I've been wearing this for _hours_ , I think that ship sailed a while ago—it's about being _comfortable_."

"Still think you look cute in it, though. Pretty even?" Dream yawned and turned to the side, dismissing any further conversation while he tried to get comfortable. George stiffened.

Maybe Dream was more affected by the alcohol than George thought.

Yet as walked over to his dresser and pulled out a sweatshirt and pair of low-hanging shorts, got dressed, and then slipped into bed next to Dream, he registered how faint the actual smell of booze was. Add on the fact that he _knew_ the amount of drinks Dream had and how, like himself, he was _not_ a lightweight, and George was confused.

_Surely he was just tired, right?_

Dream rolled back over on his side and tossed the covers over both of them, so close that George could almost _feel_ the scratchiness of the glitter against his skin.

_Yeah, tired. We just need to turn it in for the night. That's all._

<<<->>>

"Are you _sure_ you're alright to come with me? You know if you want to you can stay here for a couple of hours—use my PC, hang with Cara, binge Netflix." Dream groaned and shook his head for what felt like the thousandth time.

"George, I'm _fine_. Seriously, if I had a headache or something I would tell you." George rolled his eyes, finally accepting defeat. "And besides, we hardly drank anything. Few beers, a couple of shots." Dream shrugged.

George responded with a soft grunt, mind zoned in on his bag while trying to figure out how to fit their two _borrowed_ outfits into it without messing up the delicately constructed material. Dream was sprawled out on George's bed in a starfish position, limbs outstretched and head completely sunken into three different pillows at the same time.

"Was also worried that you'd gotten bored of the skating trips," George muttered, shrugging his shoulders half-heartedly. Dream sat up from the bed, an incredulous look settled on his face making his eyebrows knit together as if George had spewed nonsense. Then, he started to laugh.

"Really? Why would I get _bored_?" George just shrugged again, opting to meticulously try and zip up his bag instead. "George, are we really doing this again? You know I love going, whether it be to watch you because you're amazingly talented, hang out with your friends who, let's be honest here, have grown to like me perhaps more than they do you," George snickered, rolling his eyes. "or try and skate myself—which is fun even though I suck ass at it. I can't stretch the fact that I'm happy to just _be_ here _with you_ enough, yet you still don't get it, ya goof."

The bag made a strong zipping noise as if to punctuate Dream's statement, and George finally looked up. Dream had rolled over on his side so that his face was sticking out over the edge of the bed, arms dangling in front of him and brushing the floor ever so slightly. This left George, who had been crouched directly next to the foot of the bed, nose to nose with the dirty blond.

Dream gave him a lopsided smile, and George was sure that if he had a tail it would be gently wagging back and forth at the moment. He reached a hand up to lightly flick Dream's forehead, smiling back.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you, idiot." George's eyes were soft as he spoke, and with that he pulled his face away from Dream's general vicinity, rocking back on his heels to stand. A quick, yet hearty, "Thank you, though." escaped George's lips as he reached down to grab his bag and sling it over his shoulder.

If he hadn't yet, Dream may have just about melted right then and there. He wrinkled his nose and rolled once again so he was now on his back, rather than his stomach. He looked at the Brit while upside down, arms outstretched towards the slowly retreating man.

"Mhm, now help me up." George chuckled, bringing his fingers up to his chin to tap it lightly as if in thought.

"Hmm, I don't know if I really want to do that, Dream. You have two perfectly fine legs of your own." Dream groaned, reaching his arms out farther. "You're such a lazy ass, y'know that?" George spoke as he wrapped his own hands around Dream's, helping him off of the mattress.

Dream grinned, allowing himself to be pulled off. When he was standing, he didn't let go of George's hands, instead swinging them back and forth between both of their bodies. George couldn't help but notice how close they were. They had been close before— _much_ closer, this was just a simple touch—but it felt different in a way.

"Or maybe I just wanted to push your buttons?" Dream inputted as he started to slowly sway their bodies back and forth. Neither decided to remark on how... odd? different? it was that they both just simultaneously decided that standing in the middle of George's bedroom while holding hands was out of character for the both of them, instead just enjoying the break in both of their demeanors.

"Well you're gonna need to do better than that," George shot back, leaning his face closer to Dream's who raised a single eyebrow in response. Before he could open his mouth to fire back, George released one of his hands to pull him out of the room. "Now c'mon, Xander said he has something to give us and with him, God only knows what that means."

The moment was never really broken, just split down the middle. The warm and fuzzy (and quite intimate) scene was left in George's bedroom, a few scraps of that giddy energy transferred into the pair hurrying down the steps and around the house, hands still clasped together like bubbly teens about to sneak out.

Cara eyed them weirdly, her eyes shifting to their entangled fingers, before pulling out her phone. Bidding them goodbye, she lifted the device up and started tapping about the screen, body angled towards the two boys.

Not George nor Dream thought anything of it as they stumbled out of the front door sharing muffled jokes underneath their breath.

<<<->>>

Dream could hear very apparent giggling coming from the small back locker room as he was forced to stay in the main room with Riley, leaning back against the gate to the rink.

The costumes had come in and the second George found out he was running from Dream's side, snatching up the black fabric encasing it carefully, and then rushing to try it on with Xander, ordering Dream to stay put and wait. Riley stood with him, offering small talk that went in one of Dream's ears and out the other. His mind was clouded by the bubbly and free laughter.

He never got to see a preview of the outfits, and with the way, things were going he doubted that he would get a peek at the real things altogether.

"What're they doing in there?" Dream muttered, flicking his eyes around every corner of the room and crossing his arms. Riley shrugged, bobbing up and down on her feet. A chime sounded which prompted Dream to look over at Riley who was pulling out her phone. A few taps later and she was covering her mouth with her hand, biting back laughter.

Dream wanted to ask what it was that drew out that reaction from the girl but decided against it. They weren't _that_ close, right? And what if it had nothing to do with the two still laughing men in the other room? Riley seemed to read him clearly, though, opening her mouth to speak.

"Y'know, I haven't seen George in this type of attire in a while..." She stretched out her words and lifted her eyebrows suggestively. Dream wanted to glance over her shoulder and see what she saw, but he knew better than that. "He looks good." She nodded at what Dream assumed to be a photo of him on the screen. "Too bad you can't see it yet."

Dream blinked, body halting. There must have been a flash of confusion flickering through his eyes because Riley just shrugged with a giant grin on her face.

"Yeah, George doesn't want you getting too riled up yet or whatever," A new voice, Xander's, said. The man had walked out of the changing room with a large coat covering whatever extravagant outfit laid underneath.

"That's not _exactly_ what I said." George filed in after him, the same coverup refusing to reveal anything underneath to the American. Dream rolled his eyes, shoving the tiniest bit of disappointment that lingered in his chest away.

"Then what _did_ you say?" He countered, watching as the brunet tapped his chin as though he were deep in thought over the simple question.

"That I thought I would be funny to watch you wiggle around in anticipation." He said it simply, even going as far as throwing in a shrug. "You look distraught, why ever do you want to see a simple costume so badly?" Dream eyed George's cocky pout, the Brit taking a couple of steps towards him.

"Couldn't care less actually," Dream said with a confirming smile, nodding his head to solidify the remark.

"Really?" George quipped, slowly shaking his head back and forth. He pulled out his own phone, and only seconds after he put it back in the coat pocket, Dream's dinged.

Spluttering at the message on his screen, George started laughing, bending over to place his hands on his knees.

"You showed _Sapnap_?" Dream spoke incredulously, Riley and Xander joining in with George.

Dream stared at George, who held what could only be a proud smile on his face. Though, as Dream thought through the words, it appeared George did too, face contorting from smugness to panic.

"George..." Dream started, watching as said man started to shake his head.

"Shit, I showed Sapnap. _Sapnap_! What did he say? Sapnap? He texted you!" Dream bit his lip to hide his slowly forming grin. _Of course, George would go out of his way just to tease me yet not think it completely through. Karma, I suppose._

"He just said ' _George looks hot, too bad you don't get to see, loser'_. Trust me, George, I don't think that he cares."

"Right, right. _Fuck_ , well I'm stupid." He chuckled to himself and Dream took that as a sign that he, too, could let out the laughter creeping up his throat. "Hey! It's not _that_ funny!"

Riley rolled her eyes, moving away from where she had been standing next to Dream to go lace up her skates. Xander joined her, mumbling under his breath about how scratchy the outfit underneath was on his skin.

"Well now, it was a _little_ funny." Dream sighed, pushing himself from the wall in favor of standing closer to George. "I'm sure he'll want to know what's up, though, so just tell him not to spread the photo and talk to him later." George nodded, doing just that.

Later that night, the three face-timed and caught up a bit, George spilling every bit of his skating fiasco and Dream filling in all of the visit bits. It made Dream happy to see that cheesy smile George wore when talking about what he loved. He wanted to see it more often.

<<<->>>

The next day George was on Quackity's stream, face cam pulled up so they could both be side by side for the viewers. He hadn't told Dream that he was live, which was his first mistake.

He had been in the living room playing Mario Kart with Cara, so he didn't bother to interrupt their game. George opted for sending them both a text saying not to go into his room and left it at that.

After adjusting his settings and making sure his green screen was pulled up all the way, George slipped on his headset and sat down in his swirly chair. He connected to the Discord call already going between Quackity and Karl, being greeted instantly by both voices at once.

"Look who decided to show up?" Karl said, staring directly at his camera. George chuckled watching Quackity nod along and turned on his own camera to give a two-handed wave.

"Too true, Karl. Too true." So maybe George and Dream kept their little meetup from everybody but Sapnap and Bad. It wasn't like anything was out of the ordinary from a viewer standpoint—both hardly ever posted and even though they weren't attending as many streams as they normally would in a week, they were still active on Twitter. For their friends it was a little different, them hardly responding to messages or joining casual calls.

"Whatever, hello to you too," George said, pulling his knees up to his chest and hooking his chin over them. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

"You're here alright," Karl said, standing from his chair to move to move out of the camera view. A few rustling sounds could be heard before he came back with a green screen to set up behind him. "Does this work, Alex?" He asked, dropping the subject after setting it up behind his seat.

"Yeah that should be fine, let me fix your guy's videos on my screen before I start." George hummed and leaned forward, clicking around his different programs and pulling up Twitch on his second monitor. All he and Karl knew was that they were reacting to some show—movie? Quackity wasn't very specific, they just knew they were watching _something_ —and that it would last around two hours if they didn't decide to do something else afterward.

After about ten minutes of absentminded talking and setup, Quackity started his stream and the viewers rolled in. Karl and George spoke to each other when Quackity deafened to greet his chat and explain what they were doing today. A distant notification sound played but when George reached over to check his phone there was nothing. He brushed it off as background noise from Karl's end and dropped his legs to the ground when Quackity undeafened.

On his other monitor, the layout changed from just Quackity and an obscure background to the three of them on a black screen.

"Hello! Hello, hi, hi guys." Karl and George greeted him and then the chat, poking fun at each other while Quackity started things up. Just as they were about to start, a light knocking came from the other side of George's door.

George looked off to the side, furrowing his eyebrows. He had told his parents firsthand not to enter his room and texted the other two. Cara's phone was _never_ away from her side and, for the most part, neither was Dream's. So...?

"Alright! Are you guys ready?" Karl nodded vigorously and George looked back at the screen, hoping that his lack of an answer would pull whoever was at the door away. "George? George! Gosh George, pay attention to me!" George huffed at Quackity's tone, knowing it was playful and put on for the stream.

"Sorry, sorry, I think my cat is getting into mischief or something." It was a lame response, but a response nonetheless. Thinking that he was in the clear, George relaxed and trained his focus back on entertaining the stream. That's when his door swung open and in walked none other than Dream.

The same Dream that nobody knew was currently _living_ with him.

"Oh, George! Sorry, I didn't know you were in here! I just left my—" Dream halted both his steps and words, watching as George whipped his head towards him with wide eyes. The green screen behind him and the open stream on his monitors was enough for Dream to stop what he was doing altogether.

"Georgeee," Quackity dragged out with a whiny voice. "What now? Do you really hate us that much you have to go and ruin my stream before it even started?" George looked back at his camera, shaking his head.

"Wow George, you out the gang? For real?"

"Shut up, there was just— my dumb cat knocked over a bunch of plates, hang on." Dream choked on a laugh but kept it down until George had turned off his camera and muted.

"Your cat? Really?"

"Dream!" George ignored his tease. "I literally texted you not to come in here!" Dream shrugged, walking towards George's bed to pick something up.

"Maybe you should've made sure my phone was actually _on me_ before doing that then." George sucked in a breath and sighed.

"Fine, whatever, that's my bad, but can you either get out or stay quiet while I'm live please?" Dream nodded, knowing that it wouldn't be a problem if they had just told everyone they were together. But, to George's appeal, Dream left the room with a small wave, and George could reenter the stream.

For the next twenty-some minutes, everything went well. Whatever the hell they were "reacting" to was quite amusing, and the quips that George's friends added on made it all the more enjoyable. He missed this, even if it had only been a week.

Dream didn't knock the second time he entered George's room, instead, he barged right in.

He had changed into his neon green sweatshirt—his _merch_ , meaning he was clearly aiming to be recognizable— and had his hands behind his back with a devilish smirk. George didn't have a chance to force him out again. He was behind him in seconds.

Quackity and Karl were still talking through his headphones. Quickly whipping his head up to the dirty blond, and then back at Quackity's stream, George tried to determine whether or not he was visible to the viewers.

If he wasn't in the frame before, then when he leaned down and wrapped his arms around George's shoulders he sure as hell was. George was thrown into a panic as the chat noticed. Both of Dream's hands moved down to grab George's, and he made a show of hooking their fingers together and raising them just high enough for the camera to pick up.

When Dream leaned down and nuzzled his face into George's hair, the Brit practically malfunctioned.

Maybe it was the stuttered gasp that he let out, or maybe Quackity and Karl finally read the chat, but both of their friends stared at George's video with wide eyes. George did as well, noticing how nothing but Dream's dirty blond hair was noticeable as he dug his nose into George's head.

Dream grunted and moved backward, keeping an eye on the video to make sure his face was not noticeable. He let go of one of George's hands for a second to remove the headphones which were blocking him from holding George further. He could practically _hear_ the gears turning in his friend's head as he took the hint and unplugged the wire so that they could both hear everything. Quackity had paused the show but neither said anything.

Dream replanted his face on top of George, sighing contentedly at how much more comfortable it was. He took George's hands in his once again and placed them flat against George's chest, his own covering them fully. George's heart stuttered when Dream started lightly chuckling, and he was sure that his face was a mix between embarrassment and mortification.

"Hi chat!" Dream spoke cheerily, shifting his head so that he wasn't speaking directly into George's hair, yet still keeping it covered.

Quackity and Karl's jaws dropped, then they burst out in confused laughter.

And if you thought chat had gone crazy before then you wouldn't _believe_ how much they freaked out at those two simple words.

"Dream?!" Both Karl and Quackity yelled. Dream just started laughing, one hand playing with George's fingers. The brunet groaned and pulled his hands away to swat at Dream's head.

"What the fuck, dude? Huh? Am I missing something here?"

George groaned opening his mouth to speak only to close it when Dream shifted, dropping his head down to the crook of George's neck, only his hair showing.

Chat had a heart attack, the poor mods.

"George? Are you gonna tell us what that's all about?" Quackity made it so that George's live video took up the whole screen while his and Karl's face cams stayed at the bottom corner.

George rolled his eyes. "Well I didn't _plan_ on it, but now I have to." For good measures, he tacked on an "Asshole." under his breath which made Dream laugh against his skin.

His lips. Against his neck.

"You don't seem happy to see me, Karl," Dream joked, one arm stretching out to grab whatever he had held behind his back before he interrupted the stream.

"What the fuck are you doing there? It's the— _wait_!" Quackity exclaimed, jumping up and down in his seat. Karl did the same, despite not knowing what he was going to say. He just liked the excitement. "It's the twenty-seventh! Dream, does that mean you spent _Christmas_ with George?"

 _Well, aren't you an observant bastard_.

"Yeah, and his family. I was playing Mario Kart with his sister and talking with his parents just half an hour ago." How Dream said it so casually George didn't know. All he knew was that it was too much. Too fast.

He had to stop whatever _that_ was.

"Okay, okay, that's enough of that," George tried to sound calm as he practically pleaded for the anticipating screams and laughter of his friends to stop. Dream seemed to sense his shift—he always knew how to read George in these types of situations—and pulled away, hand covering his face.

Dream ducked away from the camera for a second, pulling over a stool next to George. He sat down on it, now wearing a paper plate over his face which was hooked around his head with a piece of yarn. A shakily drawn curve representing a smile was drawn in large black ink, and two eye holes were cut out of it for him to see out of.

"Hey guys, how has the stream been?"

<<<->>>

"Dream. What the fuck was that?"

George wasn't _mad_ per se. He was just... frustrated? Peeved? _Flustered_?

"What do you mean?" Dream asked as if he didn't just pull a stunt that would cloud Twitter for the next _month_ , and never leave the internet ever again. There was no way they could go a day without seeing clips from Dream's first _arrival_ behind George.

" _What do I mean_?" George repeated incredulously. " _Dream_! You can't be serious. I thought we weren't— I didn't think we were _telling_ people! And you did it like— like— _Why_ did you have to _do that_?" George's voice dropped to a whisper as he trailed off with the last line.

"What? So you trying to embarrass _me_ is okay, but me doing it back isn't?" Dream frowned, removing the hastily thrown-together mask and tossing it to the side.

"Embarrass?" George was choking on his words and he stood from his chair, Dream doing the same. "In front of over _two hundred thousand_ people, Dream!" He never registered how Dream had flat out _told_ him that George embarrassed him in. _Flustered_ him, even.

Dream sighed and brought his hand to his forehead, rubbing at it slowly before dropping his arms to his sides.

"Look, George. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I should have asked you if you were alright with me telling them, and I shouldn't have revealed it in _that way_. I'm sorry for making you uneasy, and I won't make any move like that again."

George blinked once, twice, three times at Dream's words, unsure how to respond. _Step one: get your lips to form the words, idiot._

"It's— it's fine. They would have found out eventually I suppose. And you didn't make me _uncomfortable_ with the way you—" _touched me, held me._ "I just— maybe not in front of so many people?"

Dream's solemn expression changed, a smirk dragging his lips upward as he stepped closer to George once again.

"Oh, so you _liked_ what I did then?" George's eyes blew wide, face exploding with heat. "You said _just not in front of so many people_. Does that imply that doing it again _alone_ would be alright?"

George admired the way that Dream gave him an opening with his tone. A way to pull away, brush it off, and play it as a joke. He was still trying to make him _comfortable_ during _whatever he was doing_ , and George appreciated that.

But George wasn't one to give in easily.

"Hmm, maybe that wouldn't be so bad. I rather liked the feeling of your hands over mine." George snickered at the way Dream's face dropped, his own blush appearing on his cheeks.

"Did you now?" George smiled and let out a soft 'mhm' before bringing his own hand up to Dream's chest. He leaned in, pressing his face to the taller's neck as he had done earlier.

"You really played it up for the chat, hmm? Wanted it to get clipped and haunt us forever?" George could feel Dream's hammering heart, though he was in no better position. He pulled away, satisfied with how fast Dream switched up.

George gave his friend a smile, and then it was over. He was picking up his phone and turning to leave the room.

"Yeah, yeah for the chat." Dream recomposed himself as well, moving to switch off George's monitor in a daze.

"Holy shit do I have a lot of notifications." George watched as Dream gathered up his own phone, grimacing at what must have been the same flood as George's.

"Everyone's so invested in our lives, talk about fan behavior." George giggled at the joke, deciding to answer the various messages sometime soon.

He didn't let his mind hold onto the small moment the two had as he followed Dream out of his room. _It was just something we're doing then, I guess. A joke. A bit._

They decided to face Twitter some other day.

<<<->>>

"I can't believe you invited your friends to come with us on our _private date_!" Dream whined, hanging off of George's side as the two walked up to the front entrance of a family-owned restaurant half an hour away from George's house.

"It's not a date, Dream. I just realized we haven't gone out to eat yet and you've been here for over a week!" George held the door open and gestured for Dream to go inside.

"What a gentleman."

"Yeah, yeah." Davis was already seated at a table with Rayyan and Sheya, so the two walked past the waiter at the front desk with short smiles and straight to the back of the room. "This place is my _favorite_. Ask Xander, we used to regular here all the time"

Dream hummed in acknowledgment as they came upon their table, Sheya noticing them first and calling out to the pair. They all exchanged greetings, George sitting down beside Davis and Dream taking the seat on his other side.

Xander and Riley joined them shortly after, three and five minutes after respectively. After receiving their drink orders, George leaned over Dream's shoulder to point out his recommendations. They were in their own secluded bubble wall conversation ensued around them (funny how that _always_ wound up happening).

"I liked your mask, Dream," Xander said from across the table, grinning as he swirled his root beer around in his glass with a straw. Dream raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"My... mask?" Riley chuckled.

"The one from the _stream_ last night." George's mouth dropped and he went to flick his crumpled up straw wrapped at them.

"You assholes never watch the streams, what gives?" He questioned, picking up his fork to point it accusingly at the group. Xander shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

"Well, it's not my fault Twitter completely _blew up_. I mean, I'm used to seeing you on my trending by now but when you take up the _top three_ places? Now _that's_ when I get a little curious."

George and Dream stared at him with wide eyes, neither speaking up.

"I have a screenshot, I'll show you, give me a second," Rayyan spoke up, clearly sensing the shock that emitted off of both streamers. His phone was passed across the table.

"Hashtag Dream and George meet up... popular Minecraft YouTuber and streamer Dreamwastaken found visiting popular Minecraft YouTuber and streamer GeorgeNotFound in the UK while on streamer QuackityHQ's stream." George read out loud, Dream picking up the next one after.

"Hashtag Dream's mask. Popular Minecraft YouTuber and streamer Dreamwastaken wears a makeshift mask using what appears to be a paper plate and string. Fans find this entertaining." He ended it off with a chuckle and they both looked over the final one with a groan.

"And, my personal favorite, hashtag Dreamnotfound confirmed," Xander spoke proudly as they passed back the device. George shot him a glare before eating his throat.

"Well, you got the attention you were aiming for," he muttered to Dream as their waitress came over to take their orders. Dream nodded hesitantly, absentmindedly listening to the group speak.

After everyone was finished and the waitress walked away, Dream pushed out his seat and stood. He leaned down to speak to George, not wanting to interrupt the story Sheya had moved on to tell.

"I have to use the restroom, which way?" George looked up and then over Dream's shoulder, pointing out the direction and guiding him away. Dream thanked him, pushed in his chair, and walked off.

George took a sip of his iced tea, staring off at the other people eating and chatting around them. He heard the chair beside him shift, and looked over to be met with Xander sitting down in Dream's place. Xander gave George a soft smile, one that told him he was about to be serious, not his usual playful self.

"Hey, how you doing?" He started off with, and George sighed giving him a small smile.

"I'm fine, Xan. What's up?" Xander paused, collected his thoughts, and then started off carefully.

"So... you and Dream? What were you...?"

"You can speak freely, Xander, don't worry. The others aren't listening. And no, last night didn't mean anything, if that's what you were getting at."

Xander nodded slowly, picking at the paper placemat on the table in front of him.

"You may think that, but how do you know you're not wrong?" George knew he was still treading cautiously. He wasn't one to openly talk about his feelings, no matter what they may be about.

"Well, I suppose I _don't_ know that, but why would he?"

"Was that the first time he did anything... _off_ since the baking?" George winced slightly at the mention of that day. The day he cowardly ran off instead of facing his problems head-on.

"Well... I mean I guess that was the most _intimate_?" Xander raised his eyebrows and sucked in a breath.

"So there have been other moments like that? That have made you... question it?"

"Well, I mean—"

"George, are you ever going to tell him?" Xander jumped right to what he wanted to ask, tired of prolonging it any further.

"No." George's answer was quick and firm.

"Why not? He's not gonna be here forever, and who knows! He may not be a total dick and react the way you think he will!"

"But that's not true! Xander quit dwelling on shit I told you ages ago. That was the past, this is the present. I'm— I've been moving on and so should you."

"But I'm _not_ because you're being an _idiot_. You never know until you try, George, and I think with this one you should _try_."

George stopped and stared at his friend. He knew he was right, deep down. But these waters were scary. One wrong step and he was off the deep end, being dragged under and drowned.

The sound of someone clearing their voice snapped both boys out of their intense silence. Dream stood, awkwardly and unsure, by his seat which Xander was still in.

Xander smiled, shooting Dream a cheery 'sorry' before standing up. Before he retreated to his seat, he leaned down and whispered into George's ear,

"Don't lose this chance. Take it."

<<<->>>

It was nearly midnight. Both George and Dream had caught a ride home from their dinner with Xander so they didn't need to take an Uber at night. Despite the casual conversation, there was still a boatload of tension in the air. Between both Xander and George and even George and Dream.

Unspoken words clogged the atmosphere.

When they got back, George immediately told Dream he would be taking the shower first and left his side to clear his mind. He didn't know what Dream was thinking at that moment and he didn't know if he even _wanted_ to.

He didn't speak to Dream as they switched places, instead, he threw himself onto his bed and started to scroll through his thousands of notifications.

Twitter was a field day in itself, every turn there was something to do with the stream and how _close_ Dream was to George. It was all too fresh in his mind.

 _The way he gently breathed in when burrowing his nose into my hair. The way I could feel his infectious laughter vibrate against my skin. The way his hands held mine flush against my chest, fingers playing with my own. Tangling and untangling the digits. The... the way I can still feel the ghost of his lips pressing against my neck. The thought of how they would feel if placed there intentionally. With more force and_ —

George internally cursed himself, groaning as he rocked his face into his pillow.

"You feel alright?" A voice— _that voice_ —asked from the doorway. George looked up and gave Dream a half-assed smile while shaking his head. Dream hummed, moving to put away the bundle of dirty clothes in his hands.

George tried to go back to scrolling when a hand wrapped around his phone, pulling the device away.

"It's late, George. We should rest." George rolled his eyes, sitting up to reach for his phone.

"I'm well aware of the time, Dream. And last I checked I'm _older_ than you?" Dream shook his head and placed George's phone on the charging port next to his desk. George poured as Dream slid into his spot in the bed (when did they mutually agree that it was _his_ spot?)

"Well, then you must be aware of what day tomorrow is as well." George quirked his eyebrow.

"Tomorrow?"

Dream gave George a lazy smile, sighing as he tried to throw the covers over his friend.

"Does the word _competition_ strike any recognition?"

George's mouth fell into a small 'o' shape and Dream chuckled to himself. The tension didn't disappear, all of those unspoken words were still gathered deep in their minds, but the tension was gone.

"Right... right."

"You're going to do great, Georgie. I know it." George smiled at the nickname and reassurance, nodding along.

"Yeah... thank you, Dream."

"No problem."

"No, really." George looked Dream in the eye, unsure of why he was so persistent in thanking him but knowing that it was needed in a way. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, George. Now get some rest." Dream said, fondly, reaching over to turn off the lamp that was on the nightstand beside him.

It wasn't exactly what he had wanted to say, but George knew that Dream understood. He spoke to Dream in his own George way, and he knew that his friend appreciated it.

And as the darkness pulled both men into a blissful sleep, both gravitating towards the center of the bed and consequently each other, one thing nagged at George's mind, something new, something he hadn't put any thought into all day.

Tomorrow was the contest. Tomorrow, he will skate for a series of judges.

Tomorrow, he will skate for _Dream_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter may take longer than normal to upload, sorry in advance! I hope you're all doing well :) Some important things were dusted over in this chapter and, of course, there was some fluff included LOL Eat up <3


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